Cullen's Hound
by kolchaksghost
Summary: The Cullen's move to Forks. On the first day of school Rosalie notices a Bella, a mysterious girl she is unexplicably drawn to. What is it about the human that makes the other students ostricise her. AU Bella/Rosalie, A/Em, J/D OC ,C/Es.
1. Chapter 1

**Cullen's Hound**

_Disclaimer: I own nothing except Dina._

**AN: After reading the suggestions you all left on Seeds, I will be writing all of those stories eventually. Cullen's Hound and Sun and Moon will be the first two stories worked on. There will also be a third story that I hadn't added to Seeds.**

**You will note that Edward doesn't exist in this story. Instead, his place is taken by Dina Cullen. Unlike Eddie, Dina is a true telepath. Hope you enjoy the story.**

Ch. 1: Defective

RPOV

It was our first day at yet another high school and we were once more the center of attention. Per our usual, we quickly closed ranks so the hormonal teens knew how it was. Dina and Jasper locked hands while Emmett picked up pixie-like Alice and kissed her passionately. When he put her down, she cuddled into his side as we made our way to the Office. I was a few paces off to the side, ever vigilant for any threat to my family.

As the only member of my family without a mate, I had become overly protective of them.

Being the only single vampire in a house with three loving couples was a bit much at times. That's why I enjoyed school so much; there were other things to distract me. The gasps of shock from our fellow students, as well as their expressions, were almost funny. We all paused for effect and that was when I noticed her.

A slender girl stood upon a hill to the left of the campus and practiced Tai Chi. She wore traditional Kung Fu attire, black silk pants and matching shirt with white cuffs and ivory buttons down the front. Her long brown hair had been pulled back into a messy ponytail. My vampire enhanced vision had taken in her flawless porcelain skin and stunning chocolate eyes. Her expression was peaceful as she moved through the different positions with fluid grace.

The breeze picked up from behind us and the beauty on the hill paused. She sniffed as if scenting the air and smiled then returned to her exercise. Every part of me was drawn to the mysterious girl. Without warning, lust and protectiveness welled up inside of me. Jasper's gift allowed him to sense these new emotions, so he followed my gaze.

By now, the others had picked up on our distraction and there was suddenly a conference in my head courtesy of Dina.

_What's going on, Sissy? – Dina_

_ Nothing. – Me_

_ Rose has the hots for the brunette up on the hill. – Jasper_

_ Does this mean we'll get to see some hot girl on girl action? – Emmett_

_ Screw you Em. – Me_

_ That's my job. – Alice._

_ We know, Ali. Why don't you go up and introduce yourself, Rose? - Dina_

_ Just leave me alone. – Me._

I spun on my heel then stormed off in the direction of the car. No matter how much my temper shouted at me to leave them, I couldn't go far. My concern for their safety kept me close. Leaning against the Volvo, my gaze swept over the assembled humans in search of any potential threat before being drawn back to the girl on the hill. It wasn't long before Dina joined me.

"Sorry I ran off," I apologized.

"Emmett was an ass; I shouldn't have brought him into the conversation. Jazz told me a bit about what you had felt. Want to talk about it," she responded and draped an arm around my shoulders.

"I don't know what happened. One minute everything was business as usual then I saw her and everything flipped upside down on me. At first I was simply admiring her technique. When I really looked at her, everything happened at once. First came a surge of lust and protectiveness, but there was something else there as well that I can't put my finger on.

"The next thing I knew, you were all in my head and I wanted to kill Em for that stupid comment. In my mind, he was disrespecting her; I just couldn't let it slide. At the same time I didn't want to lash out at my family. What's wrong with me," I explained, my voice rising a bit on the question at the end.

A twenty-something male exited the side of the school and walked over to the brunette on the hill. He stopped in front of her and a growl escaped me as I watched one of her hands reach up to cup his neck. Jealousy made my vision turn red; I was going to kill the bastard. The only thing that stopped me from doing it was Dina's hands on my shoulders and the timely arrival of my other siblings.

Jasper sent an extra powerful wave of calm at me that caused my knees to buckle. He toned it down a notch and I was able to stay on my feet. Dina and Alice both giggled and shared a knowing look while the boys just shook their heads.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, Sissy," my older sister commented as my sibling turned around and walked back toward the Office.

I followed behind them. During the time Jasper calmed I had lost track of the girl. Being a vampire had quite a few perks, one of which was an enhanced ability to multi-task. While I had been focused on my "twin" brother, my ears and picked up the teacher telling the girl that her father would be late picking them up. Apparently the news hadn't upset her because she made no comment about it.

At the Office, an older red headed woman looked up when we entered. She was stunned by our good looks for a few minutes then snapped out of it and approached the counter.

"I'm Mrs. Cope, can I help you," the secretary asked.

"Yes, we're the new students; Emmett and Dina Cullen, then Jasper and Rosalie Hale, and Alice Brandon," Dina replied.

Mrs. Cope turned back to her desk then returned came back with our schedules and slips that the teachers needed to sign. Dina, Jasper and I were posing as Seniors. The three of us had the same schedule. Emmett and Alice posed as Juniors; the story was the Em had been held back a grade. They shared a schedule as well. The only period we all shared was lunch.

We left the Office and split off into our separate groups. Em and Ali headed off to English while the rest of us went U.S. History. All the way down the hall, I tried to locate the exotic brunette but she was nowhere to be found. I sighed then returned to my sentry duty.

Mr. Franks, our teacher, made us introduce ourselves. Dina, being the oldest, had taken the lead and introduced us. We were directed to seats at the back of the class. Once safely ensconced, Mr. Franks began class. Every now and then I noticed my siblings tense up and I sent a death glare around the class.

Class passed by with agonizing slowness. There was nothing the teacher offered that we hadn't learned at least fifty times before. Our parents, Carlisle and Esme, and Dina and Emmett had all been changed in their twenties; therefore they could actually function in the outside world. Alice, Jasper and I were turned when we were eighteen, which meant we hardly ever got to leave academia.

A blonde, baby faced boy came up to me with an over eager expression. His breath hitched as spoke, "Hi, I'm Mike Newton. I was wondering if you needed help finding any of your classes."

"My family and I can find our own way, but you could tell me who the girl doing Tai Chi was," I responded almost too quickly.

"That defective is nobody. You'd do well to steer clear of her," he snapped and fled with a dejected expression.

My first response was to beat the crap out of Newton for saying such a hateful thing about the girl. Jasper sent me another wave of calm and I was able to refrain from chasing the little shit down. Alice bounced up and down in the hallway as she and Emmett waited for us.

"Her name is Bella Swan and she's the Police Chief's daughter. That was all anyone would say when I asked. The girl seems to be very unpopular," my pixie sister commented when we joined them.

Bella, Italian for beautiful; the name fit her perfectly. My heart ached at the thought of her surrounded by such hateful students. I needed to protect her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Cullen's Hound**

_Disclaimer: Still don't own it._

Ch. 2: Tragedy and a Broken Jaw

BPOV

I had been doing my morning workout at school when the wind brought me the most delicious scent. It had been a combination of roses and spice that was both different and achingly familiar. The scent tugged at my heart with a sense of longing and home. There was something else there as well, but I quickly put to the back of my mind then continued my Tai Chi.

It was long before the breeze carried Mr. Thackeray's scent to me. I stopped my workout and waited patiently for his arrival. As soon as he was in front of me, my hand went instinctively up to cup his throat. It was an overly intimate position, but a necessary one.

"Your father called to say he would be late picking you up today. We should head inside and start class," he told me.

I nodded then linked my arm with his and together we went inside the Janitor's Closet the school had converted into my classroom. As usual, the lessons had been stimulating and the two of were often distracted as we strayed off on tangent subjects. In fact, we had been in the middle of a discussion about the so-called Haunted Summer after reading some of Lord Byron's poetry when Charlie arrived to pick me up.

Today was our bi-weekly father/daughter date night. After the men finished their discussion of my grades, I contentedly rested my head on Charlie's shoulder as we went out to the SUV that served as his Police Cruiser. Once I was settled in the passenger's seat, Bran, my Irish wolfhound, nuzzled my neck from the back seat. I giggled and scratched my only friend behind his left ear.

My father drove to Port Angeles and the trip passed in silence because neither one of us wanted him distracted while he was behind the wheel. Like all of our "dates," it started with a trip to the Spa for some pampering. Charlie was by no stretch of the imagination a Metrosexual, but years in the Marines and as a Cop, not to mention Martial Arts training gave him an appreciation for the stress relief of a good massage and sauna.

Unfortunately, for me, my pampering was extended to include a facial, and a Mani Pedi. It was his idea to make me feel all girly and special, instead of special needs. He knew, without my telling him that during these treatments was the only time I truly felt normal. Having been born with a strange genetic quirk that caused me to be deaf and blind, normal was pretty far from my daily existence.

Renee, my mother, had freaked out when old Doc Thompson told my parents about my condition. She couldn't handle having a freak for a child so disappeared from the hospital in the middle of the night. Two weeks later, Charlie received Divorce papers and a Termination of Parental Rights in the mail from her. He once told me a cried for approximately one hour after he opened the envelope the documents were in.

Nobody thought that he could raise a child like me on his own and maintain his career. They constantly tried to convince him to institutionalize me. But Charlie, my devoted father, was a stubborn bastard. He refused each time it was suggested. Instead, he fought all the harder to make my life as normal as possible. The creed we lived by became, "If you don't fit the World, then make the World fit you."

When you are born, or lose, one sense then the others develop to compensate. Without sight or hearing, my remaining senses had developed to such a degree that it crossed the border into freakish. My sense of touch especially so.

Charlie used my enhanced touch to teach me to communicate, first with Morse code when I was three, then to understand speech by touching someone's throat. That was when he had someone come in and teach me sign language and how to read brail. When I was six, he noticed the other kids picking on me when he picked my up from the Babysitter's. That night he started teaching me Tai Chi Chuan and Aikido.

It was the same night that David Carson showed up on our doorstep with a puppy named Bran. He told Charlie that he'd read about me in a medical journal and wanted to help. The Doctors never figured out why my brain couldn't process the signals from optic nerves or inner ears. According to the extensive test they ran, everything was hooked up correctly in my head. They had named the condition after me, Swan's Syndrome.

David worked with an organization that provided Service Dogs to people with special needs. He became one of my father's best friends. While Charlie gave David a first hand account of my development, Bran and I bonded. Well, we did far more than bond but I'd always kept that a secret. Only Bran knew the truth and he couldn't tell.

After the Spa, Charlie and I dressed to the nines then ate dinner at Le Bella Italia. Normally not a fan of fungus, the Mushroom Ravioli was surprisingly good. Usually, Charlie took me dancing after dinner but I knew he had to testify in Court up in Seattle, tomorrow. The drive home had started off just as silently as journey here.

Suddenly I knew something was wrong. The SUV increased speed then wildly swayed from one side to the other. I felt it as the guardrail scraped along my side of the vehicle. The next thing I knew, the cruiser was briefly air born. There was a pain across my chest and in my head as the SUV impacted with something hard. The rusty metallic smell of blood was the last thing that registered before unconsciousness claimed me.

ChPOV

I groggily watched the red eyed demon come down the embankment toward my mangled cruiser. A tree branch had already punctured my lung, so I was goner either way. Thankfully, Bella was unconscious when the arrogant bastard reached my door.

"Kill me already, Felix, just leave my daughter alone," I choked out with a spray of blood.

"Our quarrel is with you, Charles, not a helpless cripple. Besides, she has no appeal to me as either food, or bed warmer," the sick fucker replied in his thick Italian accent.

He put his hand on the back of my skull then slammed it forward. A sickening crunch was the last thing I heard.

EsPOV

The children had gone hunting after school, so I decided that my husband and I needed a "date night." We had not gone out since just before our move here and we were long overdue. I slipped into my favorite Little Black Dress and decided to surprise Carlisle at the hospital.

The run to the hospital had been quick. I fixed my hair and make up then strolled inside. Carlisle was talking with Dr. Gerandy at the Nurse's Station. A bleached blonde whore…nurse, ogled him shamelessly. My low growl alerted my mate to my presence and he offered me the sexy smile that made my knees go weak.

I sauntered over to him and gave him a kiss. It was not a chaste one or an overly passionate one, but it told the hussy that this was my man. Carlisle chuckled softly at my blatant display territorialism.

The sliding glass doors to the Emergency Room opened the smell of blood and a flurry of activity accompanied them. EMT's wheeled in two gurneys. One held a dead man in his early forties and the other held still living teen-aged girl. Behind the gurneys were two Police Officers.

"Accident on the highway coming back from Port Angeles; Chief Swan was dead when we arrived. His daughter has possible broken ribs, lacerations to the head, a dislocated right shoulder and broken right forearm," the lead EMT stated succinctly.

"Any other casualties," Carlisle asked already moving toward the injured girl.

"Just the dog; Bran was slaughtered by the sick fuck that ran the Chief off the road. My guess is he tried to prevent the bastard from getting to close to the cruiser in case the Chief was still alive," one of the Police Officer's responded venomously.

"Obviously somebody didn't want the Chief to testify in Seattle tomorrow," the other one commented.

Instinctively I followed behind Carlisle and Dr. Gerandy. As I watched them examine the injured girl, Nurse Trollop had to put in her two cents worth.

"Too bad about Charlie, but at least this pathetic wretch can be institutionalized like she should've been a long time ago. She was nothing but burden to her poor father," her whiney voice sneered.

Without warning, my hand shot out and the gratifying sound of bone snapping as I broke her jaw prevented her from making any further inane comments. Everyone else in the room momentarily stared in shock. I turned my attention back to the wounded harlot.

"All children are perfect in the eyes of God, no matter what unique challenges they bring with them. How dare you say something as horrid as that about another human being; especially one that is in the midst of tragedy; it only proves you are horrid person and lack the most basic skills your job requires," I practically yelled at her.

The others snapped out of their shock and more than a couple of them smirked. I turned then went back to the waiting room. An African-American woman in a wrinkled blouse and slacks was the only other person there. She had the look of somebody who had fought the system too many times and was tired to the depths of her soul.

"That bitch needed to be knocked down a peg or two," she commented with a hint of a smile.

"As soon as I heard about Charlie, I knew the vultures in this town would start to circle. With nobody left in her family, the State Hospital is the only place that has space for her," the woman let out a weary sigh as she shook her head.

Everything about my companion screamed Social Worker. My heart broke for the girl whose world had just been shattered. I listened as the woman talked to various foster families to see if any had room for a teen with special needs. One foster mother asked about what kind of special needs the teen had. The apathetic response the social worker provided was, "Bella's retarded."

I felt my anger rise once again but didn't lash out. Instead, I took a deep breath and looked at the civil servant.

"My husband, Dr. Cullen, and I already adopted five teens and would be more than happy to provide a home for Bella Swan," I said slightly louder than was necessary.

The woman looked shocked but quickly composed herself. Carlisle joined us and supported my decision. That was all that was needed, the social worker agreed to push through the paperwork. She was pleased to be rid of an albatross of a case as Bella Swan, her words, not mine.

Something about the way she tap danced around the issue of Bella's disability as we spoke with her made me believe it might not be something else entirely. A glance at my husband showed that the good doctor had been thinking along the same lines. We still needed to inform the children of our newest addition and set up a room. Once we signed the initial paperwork, Carlisle clocked out and we drove home.

Thanks to Alice's psychic visions, the others were already at home when we arrived. Before we had made it all the way into the house, five voices chimed that they were more than willing to embrace the human girl. From the telling glances directed at my second daughter, Rosalie, there was obviously something else going on. As soon as they explained about their first day at school, I understood.

The phone rang and interrupted our conversation. My husband answered it; thanks to a vampire's enhanced hearing, we were all able to hear the other end of the conversation.

"May I speak with Dr. Cullen, please," a male voice asked.

"This is Dr. Cullen, how may I help you," Carlisle responded. It was unusual for strangers to call our home.

"My name is David Carson and I was a good friend of Charlie and Bella Swan. I understand from one of his Officers that you're taking Bella in," David said in return.

"That is correct, now why did you need to speak with me," my husband asked patiently.

"I need to arrange a time for my team to come to your home to see what modifications need to be made as well as to drop off her new puppy. He will be an excellent service dog for her. I would also like her to meet the Dalton's. Their son was just born with Swan's Syndrome so I think she might be able to give them some perspective," the human replied.

Carlisle's expression became very understanding and he was enthusiastic when he spoke again.

"Bella will be in the hospital for another few days and my wife wanted to start setting up her room. Could you come out in the morning with your team and the dog, I think my family might want to meet you as well. As far as the Dalton's are concerned, I would ask that you wait a week. Is there anything you can tell me about Bella? The social worker was not forthcoming with information," he spoke with tone that was a cross between concerned Doctor and protective father.

"Charlie kept a detailed journal, everything you need to know is in there," Mr. Carson responded.

The conversation ended with Carson explaining that because of the way she was treated in the past, Bella had trust issues. We waited for my husband to elaborate on Bella's condition. First, he ran upstairs then returned with an old medical journal. He told us about Swan's Syndrome and had us read the article.

There was still much to do before we brought Bella home. I suggested that we go over to the Swan house and get some of her belongings. We all wanted her to feel comfortable here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Cullen's Hound**

Ch. 3: Broken Angel

RPOV

Bella had been in the throes of a nightmare when I entered her hospital room. I had gone with my family to pick up some of her things from her father's house then rushed over. The air shifted in her room when I opened the door and brought my scent into the room. The sleeping girl sniffed twice then started to relax, but not enough.

I was drawn to her bedside by a force that was as inescapable as a black hole. Bella sniffed again and relaxed a bit more, when my hand brushed along her forehead and along her cheek, she was completely relaxed. Whatever the nightmare had been, my presence drove it away.

She looked like a peaceful Angel as she slept; a beautiful Broken Angel that endured to eke out a fulfilling life despite her circumstances and the animosity of most of her peers and elders. I removed my hand then grabbed a chair to pull closer. As soon as my hand was gone from her cheek, she whimpered. The pained sound made my unbeating heart seize. For all that was Holy, I wished I could figure out what this strange feeling was that this girl dragged from me.

I replaced my hand just as quickly as I'd removed it. Bella quieted down again as she turned her head slightly into my hand. A few minutes later I was shocked to hear the most glorious sound in all of creation. In the softest of whispers, the Angel spoke in her sleep. While part of me was dazzled by the sound, the rest had been amused by the randomness of what passed her inviting lips.

_Inviting lips_, why would I have thought anything like that? As my mind pondered over that, I must've removed my hand because she whimpered in pain again as she rolled to her on her side. Instinctively, Bella had wrapped her arms about herself as if it kept the night terrors away.

The sight of her in pain was too much for me. A myriad of emotions, most of which I didn't understand coursed through me like a whirlwind until I'd forgotten which way was up. The only thing I knew for certain was that her pain had become my pain. Without a pause to think about what I was doing, I climbed into the bed and spooned myself behind.

My arms slid around her body, and then suddenly all was right with the world. The sleeping human snuggled into me and her body naturally molded around my own with a contented sigh. At that moment, something inside of me shifted. Bella was mine, mine to protect and to…what? _She is mine to protect and what_, I wondered. The answer, as always, had been elusive.

I pushed that puzzle out of my thoughts and just concentrated on enjoying how natural it felt to have this girl wrapped in my arms. Time passed swiftly; before I knew it, morning had come. It shocked me when Bella's hand gently caressed my arm, as I hadn't noticed the increased heart rate and breathing that said she was awake. Somehow, I didn't feel embarrassed by our compromising position.

The sound of footsteps coming toward the door instantly sent me into a defensive mode. I rolled of the bed then fell straight into a hunting crouch. My only thought was that I must protect what's mine. When the door opened, I pounced on the unlucky fool that walked through and slammed him into the adjacent wall. With bared teeth, I growled at the intruder.

Calm had hit me like a prizefighter and I went limp. Before I hit the floor, my decent was stopped by Jasper. Unwillingly, my eyes shot over to the wall I pinned the intruder to and saw my father looking back at me with a knowing smile. What the hell was with my family and all the knowing smiles? It was beyond the point of getting on my nerves already.

Carlisle wordlessly pointed behind me and I followed his finger. Bella stood with her back to a corner in a defensive position. Her head moved from side to side as she scented the air. In her right hand, an empty bedpan was held at the ready. There was no panic or fear in her body language, just determination.

Emmett moved without thinking, and that was his mistake. In one fluid motion, Bella dodged his outstretched arm and slammed the bedpan into his ribs. The room resonated with hollow thunk as the make shift weapon crumpled. The petite firebrand hissed when the shockwave from the impact traveled up her arm and caused her to drop the mangled bedpan.

Jasper stepped away from me then struck the heel of his boot rhythmically on the floor. Bella moved out of her defensive position but started to shake as the adrenaline that had been running through her system returned to its normal level. I jumped over to her then wrapped my arms around her. When she felt my touch, her body instantly relaxed. Her head turned and she breathed my scent deep into her lungs.

I moved us both back to the bed and we settled into a comfortable position. Her rubbed along one of my arms for a second before it started to tap out a pattern on my arm.

"_Who are you?"_

"My name is Rosalie Hale and the others are my family. They would like to meet you," was the reply a tapped on her breastbone, to which she nodded.

One by one, the others introduced themselves. Each time a stab of jealousy went through me as they touched her. Carlisle explained everything that happened with the accident and its aftermath. Jasper felt the tumult of her pain and loss but she hadn't she a single tear. Instead, she just shut down emotionally. Once again, my unbeating heart seized.

The others left but promised to come back later as they needed to meet with that Carson guy. When I attempted to join them, Bella panicked then started to hyperventilate. Her hands clutched desperately at my arms to prevent me from leaving. I sat back down and pulled her onto my lap. Her toned arms snaked around me as she rested her head on my shoulder.

Strangely, this time I was the one that let out a contented sigh. We sat like that until the Nurse brought in her breakfast.

BPOV

I woke up in the hospital with a strange pair of cold arms wrapped around me that had been attached to an obviously female body. My head told me that I should be panicking, but instinct told me that not only was I safe in these arms but I was home as well. That familiar scent of spice and roses, which enveloped me, came from her.

Others had come in as some point; there was a brief scuffle then they introduced themselves. Dr. Cullen, Carlisle, had told me about the accident and its aftermath. After that, I just shut down. The only time I showed any emotion was when Rosalie tried to leave with her family to go meet David.

It had felt like somebody tried to rip my heart, my life, my home away from me. I needed her in a way that I'd never needed another soul, except for Bran. But this was different, the emotions were foreign and I just couldn't place them. When she sat back down on the bed and pulled onto her lap, I had to fight the aching need to feel every inch of her against every inch of me.

The antiseptic, raspberry and copper scent that wafted in when the door opened told me that Nurse Ratchet…Nurse Stanley had entered the room. The other scents that accompanied her announced that the soulless harpy had brought my breakfast; rubber scrambled eggs with limp bacon and a cup of OJ. Once the food was in my stomach, I wallowed in the numbness I created to avoid dealing with my father's death.


	4. Chapter 4

**Cullen's Hound**

_Disclaimer: SM has the privilege of owning Twilight._

Ch. 4: All Roads Lead to Volterra

CPOV

David Carson and his team had proved remarkably efficient. They arrived at our home an hour after we had returned from the hospital. Bella had clutched desperately at my daughter Rosalie and hadn't wanted to let her go, so Rose stayed behind to comfort the human. She had already spent the night with the girl by the time the rest of us arrived to meet her. From her reception when I walked through the hospital room door, I knew my wife and other children were correct in their assumptions; Rosalie had indeed found her Soul Mate in Bella Swan. If the human's actions proved that the bond formed both ways, they just had yet to realize it.

Carson had shown up with three other associates, two men and a woman. The woman held a six-month-old, slate grey, Irish wolfhound puppy. She explained that the dog, Cu, still needed more training to be a service dog but Bella would take care of that. Terry, the woman, would stop by once every other week to check on the dog's progress. We were all surprised to learn that Bella trained quite a few of their service dogs.

Carson and the two others were hunched over the table looking over the blueprints to our home with my wife, Esme. Because we wanted things ready for Bella when we brought her home, there was no time for a full renovation. One of the other men suggested to Carson they install something he called a "Banshee."

David explained that the "Banshee" connected to the doorbell and the phone jack. When someone rang the bell or called, it sent signal to a receiver worn by Bella that would vibrate in a different manner depending on which one it was. It could also be hooked up to a security system. The installation had taken less than ten minutes and our guest were on their way back to their office in Seattle.

Esme, Alice and Emmett had gone out to buy the furniture for Bella's new room. Dina and Jasper had gone hunting, and I decided to review Charlie's journal, that I had taken from the Swan house last night, one last time. David Carson had said the Chief had kept detailed notes and that was what bothered me. Nothing in this journal had been detailed. It contained generalizations and veiled references that were never explained. He had obviously meant this to be a smoke screen to keep anyone from finding the real journal.

A knock at the door interrupted my musings. I opened it and Sgt. Jason Rayburn of the Forks Police Department was on the other side. His expression told me this was not official business, but important all the same. I motioned for him to come inside but he just shook his head.

"Charlie told me that if anything happened to him, that you would need this," the Officer said gruffly as he handed me a rewritable computer disk.

I took it from and thanked the man then watched as he fled by to his cruiser. For a human, Charlie Swan seemed to have anticipated this. I flashed up to my study then placed the disk into my laptop. A window opened on the screen and demanded a password. Inspiration struck as my eyes watched the screen. I typed in the name of Charlie's ex-wife. The screen went blank for a moment then a video file opened. Chief Swan looked like he hadn't had a decent nights sleep in a long time.

"Dr. Cullen, if you're watching this then I'm gone and The Network might be compromised. If a breach hasn't occurred, somebody will contact you within twenty-four hours of receiving this disk. I know all about you and your kind. A mutual friend told me that you and your family only drink animal blood, so I'm entrusting the safety of my daughter and children like her to your care. There is not much time and too much information to pass on, most of which is contained in the documents that follow.

"When Bella was nine, we went to Europe on vacation. Volterra, Italy, to be precise, for St. Marcus' Day; unwittingly, we joined the special tour of the Castle. Everything about our guide and the tour seemed wrong. I tried to get us out of there but it was too late, we were led into a round stone chamber and the door had been swiftly shut and barred. The vampires descended upon the group before we knew it. In seconds, only Bella and I were left alive. Our tour guide was about to attack my daughter, but stopped when she got within inches of her.

"She told a dark haired demon that sat on one of three thrones that Bella was a cripple then walked away. The man she had spoken to rose from his throne and approached me. He told me his name was Aro and if I valued my life, I would never tell a soul about vampires, or interfere with their business. Otherwise, they'd kill me then sell Bella to a brothel in some God-forsaken country. I didn't care about myself, but to keep my daughter safe, I made a deal with the Devil.

"As the years went on, I learned that that was not my first encounter with the Volturi, nor was it my last. During the early days of my marriage, my wife, Renee, had gone to Los Angeles to take experimental fertility treatments because she had been told she couldn't have children. The treatments were genetic manipulation on a large scale with one purpose; the creation of gifted children. It was directly responsible for Bella's condition.

"Your predecessor, Dr. Thompson, obtained one of Renee's unused samples. He learned that it was a cocktail of various fertility drugs in a matrix of diluted vampire venom. After my wife left, the two of us traced the drug to its source, a research facility funded by a grant from the Italian Scientific Trust. The Trust, we learned, was based out of none other than Volterra, Italy. During our search, we came to the attention of The Network; a group of humans that learned of your world and vampires that attempted to keep the Volturi's ambitions in check by hiding children like Bella. Thankfully, they think their science project was a failure.

"Two years ago, during a routine traffic stop, I stumbled into a human trafficking ring. Using the resources unavailable to Law Enforcement, the trail once more led back to Volterra. In fact, The Network learned that just about all human trafficking rings lead back to Volterra. As much as I love my little girl, I couldn't let the bastards continue to get away with it. If just one of the ring leaders rolled over, I hoped to cripple the Volturi by taking out as many as possible.

"Should you choose not to get involved, I wouldn't blame you. Just eject this disk and give it and my daughter to the person that contacts you. Bella will be taken to live with my lover. If you choose to take up this burden, know that you will not stand alone. Thank you for watching this and if you could do me one last favor, kiss my baby and tell her I love her," the image of Charlie Swan testified then the window closed.

I stared in shock at the blank screen and waited for the rest of the contents to display on the computer screen. Aro had always been a touch off but what I just heard was full scale insanity. The Volturi existed to give order to our world and insure we stayed hidden from the humans. Now, their very actions threaten us with exposure. I was livid that my once trusted friends could do such abominable things.

When Charlie Swan's corpse had been wheeled into the hospital, I had smelled vampire on him. The scent had seemed familiar at the time and after watching that video I knew why. It belonged to Felix Volturi. My mind conjured up an image of Chief Swan's last moments. He had known they would come for him so at the crash site he made one last deal with the Devil; his life for his daughter's.

In a fraction of a second, I made my choice. I would join this Network and together we would keep Bella and those like her safe and continue to gather information. When the time was right, we would strike. I only hoped I got to Aro before the Insider did. My vampire mind had quickly deduced that the only way The Network had survived this long was if there was somebody inside the Volturi that kept it safe.

"Those Italian fucks won't hurt my mate, Carlisle," Rosalie said from the door way. One of her hands shot up to her mouth as her brain caught up with what she had said. I had not heard her come home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Cullen's Hound**

Ch. 5: Forgotten Memories

RPOV

It had taken more than a few hours to calm down after I learned what are so-called Leaders had done, not just to so many humans but my Bella as well. _**MY**_ Bella, that was the thought that prevented me from doing something stupid; like flying to Italy and personally ripping Aro to bits. The emotions that I hadn't understood became crystal clear when I instinctively called her my mate. My very soul sang with the love I had for the not-so-human girl.

Once Carlisle and I had calmed down, we discussed our next move. It was during that conversation that reality had set in for my father. Our family was at risk, just by taking in Bella Swan. The Volturi would not be pleased if they ever learned of it. In order to keep the others safe, we agreed not to discuss what we had learned of my love's past or The Network. This way, if anything should happen to the two of us, the Italians would have no reason to go after them.

As for The Network went, we would both volunteer our services secretly, of course. Carlisle would be able to put his centuries of medical knowledge to good use as he studied Swan's Syndrome and how powers manifested in those with it. At the moment, that meant Bella. Just the thought of her sent me into a blissful haze, she had just fallen asleep when I decided to come home and pack some clothes, shower and change.

I had rushed downstairs and was about to leave when Dina and Jasper came home from their hunt.

"What's the rush, Sissy," Dina asked without prying into my thoughts.

"Bella's my mate and I'll be staying with her while she is in the hospital," I gushed.

"About time you figured it out, it was killing my Jazz," she shot back and I stuck my tongue out at her as I fled through the front door.

BPOV

I had woken up alone and panicked because I'd been having a nightmare. There were no sights or sounds, just smells and vibrations. There had been a familiar spice smell, along with the overpowering rusty salt scent that meant blood. From the way it permeated the room, there had been a lot of it. A niggling feeling in the back of my mind told me this wasn't just a dream. I growled in frustration when I couldn't make sense of the feeling.

My body rolled to the side and I inhaled the lingering scent of Rosalie. The scent of spice, roses and home. I inhaled more deeply then was suddenly catapulted by into the past as that elusive memory bubbled to the surface.

I had been nine; Daddy had taken me on a trip to Volterra, Italy, for the St. Marcus' Day celebration. He told me we were going on a tour of the castle. There had been something wrong with the tour, I felt it and so had Daddy. We were taken to a room and it was filled that spice scent interwoven with other things. Then there was that horrible smell of blood and the vibrations that could only be caused by the echoed screams of our fellow tourists. Somehow, we managed to escape with our lives.

The air shifted as the door to my room opened, but my sense of smell was confused by an ungodly amount of perfume that wafted into the room. Once more, the air shifted with movement then there was an envelope pushed under my fingers. The vibrations as the door closed then the dissipation of perfume were indications that I was alone again. My fingers made quick work of investigating the envelope.

It had been made from a heavy paper stock that I was familiar with. The one specifically designed for use with brail printers. The fingers of my left hand traced over the front of it and found the distinctive raised bumps that spelled out my name. I opened the envelope and removed a single sheet of paper. Once I unfolded it, I read the mysterious missive.

_My Angel,_

_ I've been watching over you since I learned of my beloved Charlie's death. It has been difficult trying not to be detected my your new guardians, the Cullen's. I apologize for the perfume, but it was meant to keep my scent from them until the time is right._

_ By now, their scent has triggered memories long buried in your mind of your disastrous trip to Volterra. It would be only a matter of time before your memories brought you to me, so I had a choice to make. What I have chosen is to tell you as much of the truth as you need to know at this moment._

_ The monsters you and your father encountered in Italy were vampires; just as the Cullen's and myself. The Italians are the despotic rulers of my kind and they are evil. Among vampires, as among humans, there are good and bad. Myself, the Cullen's and others like us, are good. We try to make the best of our situation, so we drink animal blood to retain as much of our humanity as we can. That is not to say that there are not occasional slips, but we endeavor to be the better than our monstrous kin._

_ You, and other children like you, are special. I have no doubt you understand what I mean. The Cullen's are friends of mine and can be trusted. Rosalie above all the rest, I am happy you have found her._

_M_

My mind tried to process what I'd just read. While part of me was shocked, the greater part was not surprised at all. Shakespeare said that there were more things in Heaven and Earth and I'd always been a bit of a true believer. The part that upset me was that I should've figured it what M was along time ago. The woman that brought some joy back to my father, I just realized, never had a heartbeat. The most puzzling part of the letter had been her parting line. What did she mean?

The fact that M and Rosalie were vampires should've made me run for the hill, but I wasn't scared. I let thoughts of M fade into the background so that I focused all my attention on my impressions of Rosalie.

First, there was her scent, spice and roses. It drew me to her like a moth to a flame because it was both soothing and…stimulating. When her arms were around me, I felt as if I was home, safe and cared for but also made my heart flutter and my breath hitch. Her body temperature was cold, but not too cold. I had always run a little cooler than normal myself, so I enjoyed the cold. One of the results of that is that winter is my favorite time of year.

I thought about how she held me last night then through the morning. The softness of her skin and the way I fit snugly as she pressed her body into min. Her hands gently stroked my arm and hair. My breathing became labored as I lost myself in the remembered sensations. Heat pooled between my thighs as my sex began to ache and throb. My thoughts drifted to fantasies of her touching my most private of places, followed closely by me touching hers.

The fingers of my right hand tingled with the need to sate the overwhelming desire that coursed through me. I was familiar with the feeling; I was deaf and blind, not dead. My body had needs just like everybody else's. However, being the freak that I was, sex was just something I would never experience outside of self-love. I accepted long ago that I would die a virgin. The need had never been this bad before.

What little rational thought I had left understood that it wasn't just the need for sex, but the need for Rosalie that increased the throbbing in my sex by the second. There was an emotional undercurrent that went beyond the physical gratification. When she had held me, her soul cried out to mine in desperate need of being loved. My soul filled with that love and wanted desperately to give it to her. No, I needed to love her; I love her, plane and simple. From the first time I caught her scent at school, I was hers; I knew that now.

My epiphany, however, did little to ease the burning desire that consumed me. In fact, the knowledge that I loved the strange girl who was also a vampire, only added fuel to the flame. With a mind of its own, my hand found its way under the waistband of my soaked panties then traveled Southward to where the fire burned hottest. My fingers worked their magic at a furious pace until I plummeted over the edge of the Abyss in ecstasy. I vaguely felt vibrations in my throat, but whether I screamed or not was nothing I cared about at the moment.

I knew that Rosalie would be back any minute and that the scent of my arousal would be thick in the room. Carefully, I got out of bed then fumbled around until I found the window that I cracked open. Then, still fumbling, I located the bathroom and decided to take a shower. The Cullen's had brought some clean clothes from my house when they visited earlier, so I hadn't taken me long to find clean panties. The hot water felt good as it cascaded down my body. Tension I hadn't realized that I had gently eased away. When I finished, I dried myself off, put back on my hospital gown along with clean panties then went back to bed to await Rosalie's return.

RPOV

I wandered around outside the hospital for a bit after I arrived so that I might calm down. Every instinct I had told me to rush up to Bella's room and claim her as my own. She didn't know me from Eve, how could she love a monster like me. I may never have tasted human blood, but I butchered Royce and his friends for what they'd done to me without remorse. Ironically, I'd ended up under Bella's window and heard her softly moan as she thrashed about. Obviously, the girl was in the middle of a bad dream. Instantly, I felt guilty for leaving her alone.

My eyes swiftly scanned the area for my witnesses then I jump into the tree in front of her window. What I saw made me almost fall back out. I had expected her to me in the throes of some bad dream, only to look in to see her touching herself. The scene had frozen me in place and spiked my own arousal. She had been close to the edge and climaxed seconds later while whispering my name.

I continued to watch as she fumbled about the room, and then opened the window. Then she found clean panties and fumbled into the bathroom. The sound of the shower running had brought me back to reality. When the mixed scent of her arousal and climax drifted through the open window, I moaned with longing. My mind needed to be clearer before I walked back into that room, so I jumped down from the tree and walked back to the front entrance at a slow, human pace.

The rest of Bella's hospital stay would be interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

**Cullen's Hound**

_Disclaimer: There is only one Twilight, and Stephanie Meyers is its owner._

Ch. 6: Bold Moves and Unexpected Complications

BPOV

As I sat down on the hospital bed, a breeze blew in through the open window and carried the scent of the woman I now knew that I loved. It was fresh but weak; she hadn't been outside the window long. That meant Rosalie had seen me touching myself. There was an undercurrent to the scent that showed the vampire had been aroused by what she'd witnessed. Obviously, there were only a few minutes before she would come into the room, so I made a snap decision to see just how into me Rosalie really was.

RPOV

It had taken several minutes to calm down enough to actually go inside the hospital. The images of Bella touching herself were hard to ignore and had caused my panties to get soaked. As enticing as those images were, it was the way Bella had whispered my name that sent me over the edge. It wasn't just lust, but love in the way my name fell from her lips. That whisper was like a lover's caress that scorched my very soul.

Once I was calm, I strode through the hospital lobby with purpose. A short elevator ride later and I was standing at her door. Bella was asleep when I entered her room; I had only caught the tail end of her performance so maybe she'd been at it for a while and exhausted herself out. The air from the hallway had blown my scent into the room and the sleeping human sniffed twice then whimpered softly. Without thinking, I kicked off my shoes then slid under the covers next to her.

As soon as my arms encircled her, I realized she wasn't wearing her hospital gown. I fought the urge to explore the exposed flesh with everything I had while the sleeping human rolled over in my arms so that we were facing each other. Bella snuggled into me and my control started to slip. One of my hands softly traced up and down her spine.

Bella's hand rested on my side and her face was buried in my neck. Her hot breath sent shock waves through my body, and my panties got soaked yet again. My rational mind warred with my instincts as I fought to not take the slumbering human right there. Something hot and wet trailed along the skin of my throat, as warm delicate fingers found their way past the wait bands of jeans and panties to slide along my wet folds.

The deceptive shallow breathing and lowered heart rate had lulled me into the false belief that the brunette had been asleep. The vixen must've caught my scent from the window and had chosen to lay a trap for me. Her licking and stroking were both a punishment and an invitation. She felt my purr and increased her efforts. I was close to the brink but I hadn't wanted our first time to be in this hospital bed. With as much fortitude as I could muster, I gently pushed her away from me.

Confusion, hurt and rejection played across her expressive face. I realized my mistake and quickly positioned her so that her right hand was on my throat.

"No, Bella, I want to but I don't want our first time to be in a hospital. Okay," I said honestly.

She nodded in understanding then nearly shattered my resolve when her left hand came up to her lips then licked her fingers clean. I wondered if the girl knew exactly what she did to me.

My family's thoughts interrupted my musings.

_Damn, that was hot. – Dina and Alice_

_ You two oozed so much lust that we almost had an orgy out here. – Jasper_

_ I knew we should of gotten here sooner. – Emmett_

_ Please tell me you did not have sex here. – Carlisle and Esme._

_ NO! There was no sex, just some heavy petting. – Me_

_ Well make the room presentable because we are in the lobby. – Esme._

_ We need to explain things to Bella and hope she will not be scared. – Carlisle._

_ Fine. Give us twenty minutes then come up, Bella needs a shower. – Me_

_ Very well, we brought Cu with us. I thought he might set her at ease. – Carlisle._

"Baby, we need to get ourselves in order because the rest of my family will be here soon and you need another shower," I explained.

Bella got out of bed and I saw what the blankets had covered. I had known that her body was tone because of the martial arts but she was gorgeous. My eyes drifted down from her heart shaped face, to her mid-c breasts with their dusky nipples that were already diamond hard and begged for attention, then finally settled on the flimsy cotton panties that hid a treasure I desperately wanted to see at that moment. She grabbed new panties and something to wear other than the stupid hospital gown then went off to shower.

I thought it would be best if I followed her example and peeled my jeans and panties off. They were put into the empty duffle I had brought for dirty clothes then I put on a lace thong and some yoga pants. As Bella lingered under the hot spray, I opened the window all the way to air out the room and made the bed. On the floor, near the bed, was an envelope and a piece of paper, both of which were print on in brail. I put it off to the side as I sat down to wait for the others.

BBPOV

I glanced over to Harry Clearwater and "Old" Quil Attera as the members of the Pack paced angrily around the Council Fire. Charlie Swan had been a friend to each of us Elders since we were all boys. One of his men had dropped off some boxes of stuff that he thought Charlie would want us to have. When I asked what would happen to Bella, he told me that she was already been adopted by Dr. Cullen and his wife. That was not good news; as soon as the Officer was gone, I called a meeting of the Tribal Council and our Pack of Protectors.

"This can't be allowed. Those leeches have no business adopting any human, let alone Bella Swan. Even if she wasn't a cripple, she still couldn't defend herself from them," Sam, the Alpha, roared.

The other boys agreed with him and some had already phased into the horse-sized wolves that were their birthright. Even my youngest child, my son Jacob, wanted to destroy the Cullen's and bring the innocent girl back to La Push. Things were about to spiral out of control, so I raised my hand for silence.

"We will talk with the Cullen's and try to find a peaceful solution before you anything rash. The leader, Carlisle, seems like a reasonable man, besides there are more of them then there are of you. If you do something to provoke them you may not survive and then where will the Tribe be," I said with finality and adjourned the meeting.

SPOV

As soon as the three old fools left, I turned to my pack and ordered, "We will watch the Cullen's. At the first sign they have left the girl alone, we go in and take her."

Even in human form, I could wield the power of an Alpha. As I spoke, the power slammed into them and caused them to drop to their knees. They couldn't disobey my order.


	7. Chapter 7

**Cullen's Hound**

Ch. 7: Revelation

CPOV

While we waited for Rosa to make both Bella and her room presentable, I decided to head up to my office and grab a medical journal that I wanted to read. The others had chosen to meet me at Bella's room in a few minutes. My family knew me well enough to know that I might get caught up in some unexpected work to want to come with me. I stepped out of the elevator and the overpowering stench of cheap perfume filled the hall. The scent was concentrated at my office door.

I opened the door to my office and fully expected to see one of the nurses sprawled in a seductive manner across my desk. It would not have been the first time something like that had happened. At least Esme had stayed downstairs with the children so I knew there was no chance of any bloodshed. Instead of a would-be home wrecker, a familiar vampire lounged in the chair across from my desk, one hand absently played with her muted red curls.

"Maggie, how good to see you again. I was not aware of you coming out for a visit," I commented to the Irish vampire.

"I'm not visitin', I've been here since my mate chose to testify in Seattle," she responded plainly.

"Charlie was your mate," I asked shocked.

"Yes, he wanted to be changed after the trial. Now that he's gone, I've not got much longer left," she replied sadly. I chose to ignore the implications of her statement.

"That means that," I continued but was interrupted.

"A part of The Network, aye. I took the liberty of assumin' ya were joinin' up, so ya'll find a laptop and secured wireless modem in your bottom desk drawer. The first time you long on, it will take you to our secured network. Any instructions you receive or reports you file will be done via e-mail on the network. I wasn't told who yer physical contact would be, so they will leave word on when and where to meet," Maggie explained.

"What about you," I queried but somehow already suspected the answer.

"After I walk out the door, I'm headin' for wolf territory. I can't live without my mate, besides my Angel is in good hand with ya and yer Rosalie," she commented calmly as she flashed out of my office.

I already knew it was too late to get her to change her mind. News of the destruction of the Irish Coven had reached me last year, with Charlie gone and Bella mated she had nothing left. After a quick check to see that the laptop was indeed in the drawer, I left my office and met up with my family in the elevator.

We made our way to Bella's room and went inside. She and Rose sat on her bed, the brunette cuddled into the blonde's side. Each of us greeted the somewhat human girl by tapping out the message on her outstretched hand. Esme placed Cu on the bed next to her and she smiled happily as she pet the dog. I shot a glance at Rosalie to let her know we needed to start the difficult conversation before us.

BPOV

I was happy to have Cu, but he was still a puppy and needed to be trained. However, there was something I needed to tell Rose and her family so I was stuck with a limited window to do it in. My fingertips rested lightly upon Cu's head then I opened the connection.

RPOV

Just as I was about to tap Bella on the shoulder to get her attention, I noticed her head snap up and she swept her head from one side of the room to the other. Cu mimicked her movements while the fingertips of her left hand rested gently on his head.

"As Cu has not been properly trained, I have very little time to say this," Bella began as she and the dog looked at my father.

"I know your secret, that you're vampires. Now I've shown you mine. I can borrow another being's senses. Thank you for giving me a home, I hope we can be a family as I'm desperately in love with Rosalie," she rushed out in a single breath.

Cu was becoming distracted by a bird that landed on the window sill and the connection severed. My family watched in shock as she was forced back into her world of dark silence. Carlisle was the first to recover. He left his seat and knelt before my love.

"Have you ever tried to use another person's senses instead of your dogs," he tapped out the question as he spoke it.

Bella shook her head no. From the expression on her face anyone could tell that she wanted to try.

I pulled her right hand to my throat and said, "Let me be your eyes and ears, beloved."

Tentatively, she slid her left hand over until it touched my arm. There was a tingle then after a few seconds her eyes widened and she gasped.


	8. Chapter 8

**Cullen's Hound**

Ch. 8: Over the Rainbow and a Warning

BPOV

I gasped a little as I felt the tingle that meant the connection had been made. Suddenly there was an explosion of colors and a cacophony of sounds. It was far too much information but somehow my mind was process all of it without any effort. It was almost as though it had been made for just this purpose. Only now, had I realized how multi-facetted my brain truly was.

My hearing picked up every conversation in this wing of the hospital, along with the usual electronic sounds associated with places of healing, and all the noises outside for about five miles. There were also those ranges that humans were never meant to hear. Thankfully, I was use to borrowing a dog's senses so I was able to filter all of those into a dull buzz in the back of my mind so they wouldn't be distracting.

It was what I saw that had been awe-inspiring. If my world wasn't dark, then it was seen through the black and white vision of my only friend. Now, I experienced the world in color for the first time. Everything was so vibrant it was breathtaking. I must've looked like a kid on Christmas morning because I noticed the barely contained excitement on the divinely beautiful faces of my new vampire family.

I wanted to see what the rest my room looked like, so I turned my head but Rose kept looking at her…our family. With all the demanding of a child, I mentally pulled as hard as I could on the connection between us. Her head whipped to where I looked at a speed that made me dizzy. It was her yelp of pain that caused me to sever the connection.

Unfortunately for me, I just yanked my hand off her and the backlash of the abrupt disconnect made me cry out then I felt blood trickle down my nose to my lip. I tried to knock away the hands of whoever was trying to help me as I tapped out a frantic _Sorry_, on Rosalie's arm. Her slender fingers closed around my wrist then guided my hand to her throat.

"I'm okay. I'm okay," she soothed and I hadn't realized I had started sobbing.

The one that had tried to help stepped back as my love pulled me into her lap. She stroked my hair and rocked back and forth until I finally calmed down. She tried to coax me into re-establishing the link between us, but I vehemently refused. Nothing she could say had any hope of changing my mind.

"Please baby, for me. I know what happened was an accident; you didn't mean to hurt me. Please," she begged, then added, "If you do, I'll make worth your wile."

It was the images that last part of her plea had conjured up that broke my resolve. Tentatively, with my left hand softly resting against her throat, I pushed open the connection. It had taken a few minutes to force the multitude of sounds into the dull ring again, and then I was ready to give my undivided attention to those around me. Rosalie had used the time to wipe the blood from my face.

RPOV

Just before I felt the tingle of connection between me and Bella re-open, my siblings had been snickering. It had taken all my self-control not to join them; everyone had smelled my vixen's arousal when I made my final plea. Despite what I'd said earlier about not wanting our first time to be in a hospital bed, there was little doubt that Bella would try something to get me to change my mind. With a simple implication, I'd taken control and now she'd wait with anticipation until I've made a move.

"What happened," Carlisle asked which snapped me back out of my musings.

"I don't know; one minute I was looking at you then the next I felt a force pull that made me turn my head. It was the strength behind the pull that made me yelp," I stated delicately so that the brunette wouldn't get upset again.

"That was my fault, I didn't mean to tug so hard that it hurt you but you weren't looking where I wanted you to. I've only seen the world in black and white whenever I'd used Bran's vision; color is just…wow. Charlie told me about a movie, The Wizard of Oz; it starts out in black and white then switches to color. I that's the only way to describe it, everything is just so vibrant. Anyway, when I heard Rose yelp in pain, I instantly severed the connection. While that had been painful in the past, it was nothing like what happened a couple of minutes ago," Bella explained.

Emmett had suddenly started singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow in a very girly voice and it had made us all laugh. Bella was still a little upset that she'd caused me pain, so I went back to softly soothing her. I felt the slight trembling of her body so I looked down at her in my lap and noticed she was under some sort of strain. Thankfully, I hadn't been the only one to see it.

CPOV

I had kept an eye on Bella since we had started this experiment, and I noticed that now she started to show signs of stress. The young woman had pushed herself past all of her previous boundaries and she needed to stop. I decided to only ask a couple of questions then have her rest. The other answers needed to wait, for now.

"Bella, why are Rosalie's vision and hearing not causing you problems," I asked.

"It's weird, you'd think that but somehow my brain easily compensated for the overload. I suppose it could all be distracting, but I'm able to shove the excess information into different compartments in my mind. Like with the sounds of everything outside this room are a dull thrumming but I can go back and pick up individual sounds. Sight is kind of the same way; everything I don't want to see is blurry until I do. It's as if my brain were made for this kind of sensory input but my body wasn't. I'm exhausted and the longer I keep the connection open, the worse it gets," she explained.

"One more question then I want you to get some rest. Can you only use someone's senses when you touch them, or can you do it over distance," I wondered.

"After the connection becomes stronger, then I can do it from a distance. With Bran, I could do it from three miles away. I only ever did that when Charlie took him hunting and I was back at our campsite. That way I could keep an eye on him because he was more of a fisherman than a hunter," she replied with the slightest of waivers in her voice.

I nodded then indicated for her to break her connection to Rose. The poor girl was so drained from her endeavors that she fell to sleep in her mate's arms seconds later. Her answers showed that she was beginning to understand how different she really was. Rose and I shared a look that meant we would be having a private conversation later. My cell phone rang as I was about to examine the sleeping beauty.

"Dr. Cullen, this is Billy Black," a voice on the other end had said once I had hit the talk button.

"Hello Billy, I take it this is not a social call," I responded politely.

"No, I wanted to let you know that the Council and the Pack are not happy with you adopting Bella. I was hoping we could sit down and discuss things calmly before the Pack does anything stupid," Billy replied back civilly.

"I think that would be a wise idea, call me tomorrow with a time and place but there are some complication of which you are not aware that may color the discussion. Until I hear back from you, good day," I commented then ended the call before he could ask any questions.

From what I had observed of this new generation of wolves, they were more prone to violence that those we made the Treaty with. We could not take the chance that Bella was not safe in the hospital. After a rapid discussion, it was decided that I would discharge Bella and we would take her home at once. I made my way to the Nurse's Station to sign the requisite forms while the others made short work of packing our youngest member's things.

After a brief stop by my office to pick up my new laptop, we were headed home on full alert. I wanted to avoid bloodshed if at all possible, so as soon as we reached the house, I would call in an old friend for insurance.


	9. Chapter 9

Cullen's Hound

Ch. 9: A Promise is a Promise

RPOV

Bella was comfortably tucked into the bed in our room…**Our Room**; I liked the sound of that. She'd been asleep since the connection between us was severed. Carlisle and I had shared a glance back at the hospital that conveyed two things; first, that the young woman had intuitively deduced much about the nature of her condition and second, we needed to have a private conversation about everything. There had been no time for our chat when we arrived back home because everybody was too keyed up about why we needed to bring Bella home early.

I noticed that Carlisle had made time to sneak off to his study for a few minutes to make a phone call. There'd been no use trying to listen in because that room was the only sound proof room in the house. Esme had tripled the soundproofing during her renovations when he complained that it was difficult for him to review his medical journals and work because of the noise generated by two hormonal teen-aged couples. Emmett and Alice had been caught trying to christen it with some creative aerobics but our father had walked in at just the right moment.

After his call, Carlisle came back down more relaxed than when he'd first gone upstairs. The family then gathered around the dining room table so that our plans could be fleshed out. It was decided that we would mount constant patrols for a five mile radius around our property whenever we were all home. All but one member of the Pack were in school, and that one wouldn't do anything reckless without back up. Esme had wanted to home school Bella because Forks High had already fired her teacher after they learned of Charlie's death. She already faxed over her information to the State Board of Education.

The discussion ended when we finally hammered out a satisfactory patrol schedule. Like typical men, Jasper and Emmett had tried to take over the bulk of them but we girls weren't having it. Since the girls outnumbered the boys in our family, it was easy to overrule their attempts. Each of the boys was given a set patrol while we girls elected to alternate between the various patrols.

Esme left the table first and made Bella some dinner. It wasn't long after she finished that my mate woke up and the others excused themselves from the house for an extended hunting trip until mid-morning. Their not-too-subtle way of reminding what I'd said to Bella at the hospital. I gave a mock huff of annoyance then gathered the food on a tray and headed upstairs.

_I guess I'll just have to take one for the team. A promise is a promise, after all_, I thought with a smile.

BPOV

I woke up but knew I wasn't in the hospital anymore. For starts, the bed I was in was too large and way too comfortable. Then bedding itself was high quality not the thin scratchy stuff I had to suffer through the past couple of days. Finally, there was the fact that I was surrounded by Rose's scent; it permeated everything in this room…her room.

When the fog of exhaustion had cleared, I realized that something was different. Even though I was no longer connected with Rosalie, my remaining senses were like a hundred times stronger than they were before. I could smell Rose, in addition to the food, and knew we were the only ones in the house. I even felt the vibrations of every step she'd taken. Between the two senses, I knew she was on her way to me with the food. But those weren't the weirdest thing; my brain registered a slight tickle in the back of my throat.

I sat up in the bed then waited for my…_girlfriend (?) _to arrive with breakfast. She entered the room and came straight to me then placed a tray of food in my lap. When I reached out to tentatively look for a fork, Rose smacked my hand gently. For the next twenty minutes, my love fed me savory waffles stuffed with apple wood smoked bacon drizzled with pure maple syrup and fresh strawberries in crème fresh. A glass of cold milk washed it all down. She moved the tray and the two of us laid back and cuddled.

Rosalie started to trail butterfly kisses along my neck as one of her hands snaked its way under my top to play with my naked left breast. I moaned wantonly then arched into her hand. She stopped kissing my neck long enough to remove my top then kissed down my neck and to my right breast. My nipple was sucked into her mouth while her tongue flicked the hardened nub mercilessly which made me hiss with pleasure. The twin assaults of her fingers rolling one nipple between them and her mouth on the other had me on the edge. I begged for her to take me.

Somehow, my yoga pants and panties had been removed. With both hands continuing to work on my breasts and nipples, she licked her way down my torso to my soaked slit. I licked her way around my mound then gently sucked on my inner lips one at a time. When she dipped her tongue into my core, my hips bucked wildly. One of her hands made its way south and its fingers teased my entrance with her mouth and tongue worked my clit. My body shook with my first orgasm and she quickly thrust two fingers inside me taking my virginity. There was no chance for the pain of that to be registered as her fingers were pumping in and out of me as she continued to work clit. I lost count of the number of orgasms I'd had.

I returned the favor when she finally finished. Every twitch of pleasure she had etched itself into my memory. By the time I was through, neither of us had been capable of any coherent thought. I drifted off to sleep with a contented sigh while my Rose basked in the afterglow of numerous intense orgasms and held me. Throughout our lovemaking, the tickle in my throat would flare to a burn then die down. At some point I'd ask Carlisle about it but at the moment it was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

**Cullen's Hound**

_Disclaimer: What rock have you been living under if you don't know SM owns Twilight._

Ch. 10: Little Red Riding Hood Strikes Back

CPOV

Billy Black had called back to tell me that a meeting had been set up between my family, the Pack and the Tribal Elders for today. The rules for the meeting were simple, all of us, minus Bella, would meet on neutral ground to discuss our current situation. Much to Rosalie's disapproval, I agreed to the terms. With everyone at the meeting, she would be safe her. After all, the quasi-supernatural had spent the past two days learning the layout of her new home and told my daughter that she would be fine by herself for a couple of hours.

Bella was sitting on the white leather coach in the living room reading something in brail, Cu was at her feet and a two-inch diameter wooden walking stick was within easy reach. The rest of the family reluctantly got into the car while I went around shutting the steel shutters for the glass wall that made up the back end of the house. When I was satisfied they were securely in place, I joined the others in the car then drove to our rendezvous.

The Tribal Elders were already there waiting for us. We joined them then and together we waited patiently for the Pack to arrive. On the way over, I had received a text message that let me know that my insurance policy was in place.

BBPOV

Harry, Quil and I had already been nervous by the time the Cullen's had arrived because the Pack was late. The wolves should've been her early to set up a perimeter but they were nowhere to be found. Sam hadn't answered his cell phone since sunrise.

Carlisle gave a genial greeting and I saw the hope in his eyes for a peaceful resolution. My grandfather had been right; the Doctor was an honorable man. While we all waited for the Pact to finally arrive, Carlisle surprised me by asking how the Reservation Hospital was doing on funds and equipment. He knew we were planning on opening a modern resort and wanted to make sure our hospital could handle the resultant influx of patients. The vampire gave me the card of a medical technologies firm and told me to call them about upgrading our facility then shocked me further by offering to help with some of the funding.

Our conversation was interrupted when three wolves in human form stepped from the woods. Seth and Leah Clearwater, the newest wolves, were supporting a battered and bloodied Jacob between them. Everyone here new that wasn't a good sign and whatever patience we'd had was shattered as the trio slowly made their way over to us. As soon as they reached us, Carlisle was examining my son while I demanded to know what happened.

"Sam had been upset when he found out I'd phased. He was about to attack me when Jake and I imprinted on each other. I should've been okay after that because of the Laws, but then he told Seth and me that we had to go with them to kidnap Bella Swan while everybody else was at the meeting. I refused and told him what he was doing was wrong, so he attacked me. Jake phased to protect me but Sam ordered the others to phase and help him. They ganged up on Jake but he held his own for a while. The Pack suddenly stopped then ran off into the woods," Leah explained her eyes were red and cheeks stained from her tears.

That was all we needed to hear, the Cullen's were already in their car headed for their home and the rest of us weren't far behind. I only prayed we weren't too late.

SPOV

After the Pack and I had finished teaching not to interfere when I discipline his whiny bitch of an imprint, we ran off to the Cullen's mansion. The leeches and our pathetic Elders were distracted by their precious meeting. That meant the cripple was by herself.

_Paul, you've never questioned my orders so as a reward, the girl is yours. The cripple may be useless for anything else_ _but she can still pop out litters of new wolves_, I thought through the Pack mind.

_YES, _he practically screamed back.

The Cullen place was just in front of us and we all noticed the steel shutters were closed over the glass wall that took up the entire back of the house. We stopped when the front door opened and the cripple stumbled out of it with a puppy. She made it off the porch and stood there while the dog ran around and played. We phased back to human just before we broke cover.

BPOV

When the others left for their meeting I stopped reading my book and just let my senses roam. The past two days I've secretly been experimenting with them but I hadn't told anyone about the change yet. I wanted to try to get a basic understanding of them before I told anyone. Smell and taste were impractical to play with while inside, so I concentrated my efforts on touch.

It was like I'd been plugged directly into the Earth for two miles around the house. I literally felt the movements of every creature in that area and tried to figure out what each one was. My attention became focused on a group of something that was running toward the house at great speed. I couldn't tell how many there were because the moved single file to hide their numbers.

Without a second thought, I grabbed the walking stick from where it rested against the couch then moved to the front door. I opened it, let Cu out, and then pretended to stumble out the door. Using exaggerated caution, I made my way down the porch then onto the lawn about fifteen paces from the steps. The air vibrated with some unknown energy then I felt five people walk toward me.

Cu played happily as the people encircled me. From the smell of wet fur and diseased animal, I knew they weren't human. I felt the one on my left move and easily dodged out of the way. I gripped the top of my walking stick and twisted ever so slightly and then with a flick of my wrist unsheathed the Tai Chi sword that had been concealed inside.

Whatever was behind me moved to attack; I stabbed backward with the sword and impaled them through the stomach. Then with a fluid motion, pulled it out, spun on my heel and arced the blade down to sever the head off. I'd been so preoccupied with my strike that I almost missed the air vibrate to my right. There had been no time to move before sharp claws tore across my midriff.

I was going to die, I knew that but I'd take a few enemies with me. That realization caused something to switch on inside of me. Instantly, I was connected to my four remaining attackers. The vision of each one seemed to be displayed on separate screens in my mind. What they heard easily pushed into the background. Then something amazing happened.

My mind started to process all the input in a new way. It had taken bits of all the data it was receiving and assembled it to give me back both my sight and hearing, while still maintaining the various points of view on the other screens.

The young men kept circling me then they started to vibrate. I hadn't blanched when they exploded into giant wolves, just readied myself for the next attack. They moved at an unnatural speed but somehow, I managed to match it. In the back of my mind I knew I couldn't keep it up for long and that moving this was killing me. Everything stopped when an oversized black and grey wolf ran out of the woods and joined me. My instincts told me that this was an ally so I kept my primary focus on the others.

I heard my family arrive but the connections cut out as blood loss made me collapse into unconsciousness.

RPOV

We had rushed back to the house but the fight had already started. Bella and a grey and black wolf stood against four other wolves. My mate had one hand clutching her stomach while the other held some kind of sword. On the ground behind her was a headless corpse. Everyone was out of the car before it had fully stopped.

Bella sensed our presence and relaxed a bit. However, blood loss from three gashes across her abdomen caused her to loose consciousness. I flashed to her side and had her in my arms before she could hit the ground. The four remaining bastards that tried to snatch my Bella were surrounded and couldn't escape.

"Carlisle," I screamed but he was already by my side.

"The wounds are too severe. We need to change her if we want her to live," my father said with finality.

"I love you. Please don't leave me," I whispered before a bit her neck and just above her heart. I prayed I could get enough venom into her in time.

The Tribal Elders arrived as Esme carried an already changing Bella back into the house. I smelled which one of the bastards had Bella's blood on their claws and pounced on them. Nobody stopped me as I tore him to pieces. I was covered head to toe in the mongrel's disgusting blood but my anger and need for revenge hadn't yet been sated.

A second wolf fell before my holy wrath, but at least he put up a fight. Emmett and Carlisle struggled to hold me so that nobody else was killed while Jasper sent ever increasing waves of calm at me. The problem was that every time I heard Bella scream because of the Change, I went berserk. It wasn't until Alice told me a dozen times that everything would be fine that I finally calmed down.

Movement by the tree line drew my attention. Tanya Denali walked over to us with a nod. Before I could ask why she was here, my focus switched to the wolf that helped my Bella as he phased.

"Hello Levi, old friend," Carlisle greeted him while the Elders gasped in shock.

"It's been too long," the other man replied as they shook hands and hugged.

When they broke the hug and stepped back, Tanya ghosted to Levi's side. He kissed her softly on the lips then glared at the four wolves that were now phased back into their human form. I wanted to see what he would do to them but Bella screamed out for me and I needed to be with her. Tanya and Alice followed right behind me.

I held Bella and whispered soothing words in an attempt to comfort her. At Alice's suggestion, Esme opened the window so we could hear what went on and the wolves could hear my mate's pain. No matter what happened out there, the next three days were going to be to worst ones of my existence.

**Crossover Challenge**

** Most of you are aware that my first story was an entry for the RosaBella challenge. After reading stories for a number of different challenges I thought I'd come up with one of my own. Just like the title says, this is a Twilight Crossover Challenge. The rules are as follows:**

**Stories must be new, not existing.**

**They must be Femslash**

**The minimum word count is 1500, but there is no maximum limit to the number of Chapters as long as it is completed by the due date.**

**No Soap crossovers with one exception, Dark Shadows. If you are old enough, or geeky enough, to remember the original Dark Shadows or even the '90's remake, you know why.**

**Try to stay away from obvious crossovers: Moonlight, Forever Knight, etc. (Not a rule just guideline.).**

**The end date is Feb. 28, 2010.**

**PM me with the details when you post your story/first chapter.**

**Crossovers I'd like to see without having to write them: Twilight/Sanctuary, Twilight/Warehouse 13, Twilight/Fringe, Twilight/Dollhouse, Twilight/Firefly, Twilight/Criminal Mind**

**Anyone that wants to flex their writing muscles further can opt for the blind version of this challenge. PM me and I will give you the pairing, crossover and a third element to your story. To prove that it is possible, I'll PM three of my regular reviewers and ask them to pick out a pairing, crossover, etc. then I'll write the story for shits and giggles.**

** I hope some of you will take up the challenge.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Cullen's Hound**

_Disclaimer: Oh, I wished I owned Twilight. Oh yeah, oh yeah. But I don't and its too bad, I'm so sad._

Ch. 11: Judgment

BBPOV

I'd seen Bella collapse as we drove up. Everyone piled out of the car and Harry wheeled my chair over to where the Cullen's and what was left of the Pack stood. Paul had been beheaded by Bella. Rosalie, the blonde vampire, had killed Jared and severely wounded Embry but he was still alive. Bella had been dying from the wounds she'd received but Rosalie had bitten her in order to save her life. Part of me screamed that they violated the Treaty and needed to be destroyed.

I quickly shook off that idea. The Cullen's acted with honor throughout this incident. Sam had broken the Treaty with an unprovoked attack on a blind girl. The fact that the blind girl wasn't as defenseless as she seemed didn't negate that fact. If Rosalie hadn't acted, an innocent would've died. There was someone else standing with Carlisle when we finally reached the others. Someone I never expected to see again, Levi Uley.

Sam looked at his ancestor and demanded, "Who are you? You had no right to interfere in Pack business."

"My name is Levi Uley. I was Second only to Ephraim in the last Pack and a Medicine Man, which is what gives me the right to interfere. You are a disgrace as an Alpha as well as to the Tribe and the Uley name. Not only have your actions almost cost the life of an innocent, they have been directly responsible for the injuries sustained by your imprint. Be silent while the Elders and I decide your fate," Levi replied scathingly.

The older Protector turned away from him and stepped over to where we stood, Carlisle at his side. The remaining Cullen's, Jacob, Seth and Leah made sure that Sam and the others didn't attempt to flee. The other Elders and I noticed the disappointment in Levi's gaze as he looked at each of us in turn.

"You who remember the last Pack are not completely to blame for what is wrong with this new incarnation of our Tribal Protectors. There was too much anger in this generation of young men to be overcome by anything short of death. What shall be done with those who were unworthy of the magic in their blood," he spoke with a voice that held power and authority.

"BANISHMENT," Harry, Old Quil and I responded forcefully at the same time.

The entire time Levi had spoken, Bella Swan's screams drifted out of the window of the room she'd been taken to. Sam flinched at the sound. The elder Protector nodded in agreement with us then walked back to where the disgraced wolves waited for judgment. Embry hadn't fully recovered but he was on his feet with the remnants of his Pack.

LPOV (Levi)

I marched purposefully back to the poor excuses for Protectors, my face a blank mask. Embry and Young Quil kept their eyes on the ground while Sam, the Alpha and my misbegotten get, looked me in the eyes; it was a direct challenge but he was unworthy and I ignored it. He started to shake.

"By order of the Tribal Elders, for your crimes you are sentenced to Banishment. By their authority, I strip you of your names. With my power, I strip you of your wolves," I intoned then began a low chant.

I raised my hand and everyone gasped when it started to glow. My chanting grew louder and I clenched my glowing hand into a fist then jerked it back. The Nameless screamed as I tore the Wolf Spirits from their bodies. I stopped the chant and watched as the spirits evaporated like smoke. The three Nameless attempted to walk away with as much dignity as they could muster. Jacob Black was about to follow them when they agreed to leave the state as quickly as possible.

Carlisle suggested that we go inside so that the humans could eat and future planes be hashed out. Something had been niggling at the back of my mind and then it clicked. Bella hadn't screamed in a couple of minutes. I was about to say something to the others when a blur flew out the open bedroom window and the girl in question landed five feet away.

She looked like some Warrior Goddess as her pale skin sparkled in the late afternoon sun. Her perfect face bore a determined expression and her solid crimson eyes blazed. Less than a second later the solid crimson was replaced by the standard pupils and irises. Bella snarled then flashed to the Northeast. Her dark mahogany hair whipped behind her.

"Nomads….cave…Girl scouts…PROTECT," she snarled.

Without waiting to see what the others did, I phased and ran after the Newborn. My senses told me that the remaining wolves and the Cullen's were not far behind us. Bella pushed herself faster, the Nomads must be about to feed. The distant flew by and suddenly we stopped. We were at the base of a small mountain and there was a cave. The cave mouth was roughly fifteen yards above us. I heard the whimpers of young girls echo from inside of it.

Three vampires appeared at the cave mouth – two males and a female; they must've smelled us. One male had short dark hair, the other long, greasy, blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. The female had long flaming red hair and stood closer to the blonde. Years of experience dealing with human drinkers told me the blonde was the leader. His body language screamed that he was dangerous as well. The red head looked like she might've been his mate. The dark haired male looked as if he were trying to figure a way out of a potential fight. With a growl of pure feral rage, Bella leapt at them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Cullen's Hound**

_Disclaimer: You already know what I'm going to say._

Ch. 12: Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting

EmPOV

Me, my family and the wolves caught up with Bella right as she leapt, snarling, at three vampires that were on a ledge just above her. The Nomads were a red headed female and two dudes. One dude had greasy blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and the other one had dark hair and looked like a pansy. As soon as my new little sister landed on the ledge, all hell broke loose.

The pansy jumped to the ground and was about to make an escape when Jasper stepped in front of him and shook his head. One look at my brother and another vampire would see just how much of a badass he really was; bite scars covered quite a bit of his body from when he fought with the Newborn Armies in the South. My gaze shifted back to the ledge and I, along with everyone else, discovered there was more than one badass in the family.

It looked like the remaining Nomads had the upper hand because the first couple of milliseconds, Bella acted on pure rage. Then she stopped and the whole fight looked like something out of an old Kung Fu Theatre flick. They were moving at vampire speed but we could see every motion thanks to our enhanced vision. Levi had phased back into his human form and was enthralled like the rest of us.

The chick managed to land a lucky strike and claws Bella's side and Rose entered the fight. With the odds now evened up, I thought everything would end quickly but I was wrong. While Rose knew the basics of fighting, she was definitely not in the same weight class as the other three. As a result, Bella was getting more injuries as she tried to protect her mate and deal with both opponents at the same time.

Rose attempted to attack Red, but the chick dodged as Bella did a twisty-flip thing. The female Nomad's torn off head was in her hands when she landed. The move was so fast that not even my enhanced eyesight had caught it. The male screamed and was about to attack Rose when his nostrils flared. He spun to face us then pounced at my Alice. The greasy fucker was blindsided by me and Jasper. I barely registered Dina's face frozen in a mask of rage and horror as Jazz and me tore the bastard apart.

Levi and Tanya already had the remains of the red head burning so we added the pieces of Greasy to the flames. Carlisle and Rose were both learning over Bella, who had collapsed when the fighting stopped. I could hear about seven heart beats from inside the cave as well whimpers of fear. My family moved Bella back into the trees while the wolves, now human, dealt with the human girls in the cave.

My little sister was in a bad way and needed blood. I ran off and had gotten lucky; there was a grizzly bear not that far away. Normally I liked to have a little fun with bears but Yogi over there was just the over-stuffed picnic basket that Bella needed. I snapped its neck then hauled back to where my family was and dropped the carcass at the Newborn's feet.

DPOV

When Bella had completed her transformation in the space of minutes instead of days, I was shocked. What shocked me more was the fact that I was able to read her mind. The shield that had protected her mind since the moment we met was gone, just for an instant. Through her thoughts I saw exactly how her power worked and it was amazing.

It was like floating in the air while being surrounded by a sphere of thousands of hundreds of video monitors and speakers. I was used to dealing with multiple lines of input thanks to my telepathy but it still took me a minute to get my bearings. Suddenly one monitor in particular became her primary focus. It appeared that a young girl was huddled with six others in a cave, at its mouth were three vampires discussing how they were going to divide up their snacks.

Bella was instantly out of the window with me not far behind. When she landed, I watched as different screens flashed in her mind and she calculated the general direction and distance to the cave. I watched as more screens flashed then her brain took snippets from several screens, as well as speakers, and connect them to become the brunette's sight and hearing. When that happened, her shield went back up but I was on the inside. Somehow, I knew that her shield would not be a problem for me anymore unless she concentrated hard to keep me out.

My new sister and Levi were in the lead as the rest of us rushed after him. There was a moment when I thought about linking my family's minds together but I doubted that they could handle the overload at the moment. By the time we reached the location of the cave, the fight had already started. When the dark haired male tried to escape, my Jasper cut him off. The Nomad had wisely chosen not to try anything else. With him no longer a threat, I linked to Jazz but put up a buffer so we wouldn't distract our sister.

_What the… - Jazz_

_ I know, it's amazing. – Me_

_ Definitely, but a bit distracting if you didn't have powers like ours. – Jazz_

_ Baby, link me out because it looks like Blondie is about to go for Alice. – Jazz_

I focused on the thoughts of the blonde male and was horrified. The bastard had been hunting Alice when she was human. The last seconds of his existence I learned all I could so I could pass the information on. My attention switched back to Bella, she'd collapsed after the fighting had stopped. My father and Sissy were bent over her trying to assess the damage and comfort the prone girl.

Through my connection with the Newborn, I watched as her power slowly fizzled out until she was deaf and blind again. We moved her back into the woods so the rescued humans wouldn't see her, or us. Bella was in desperate need of blood so Emmett had taken it upon himself to hunt. He came back a few minutes later with a dead grizzly bear over his shoulder, and then dropped it at her feet.

BPOV

I was mentally and physically exhausted from the fight and my injuries hurt like hell. Every time I tried to use my power to connect to my family it felt like my head was going to explode, so after a few attempts I just stopped. The only other thing I felt was a burning in my throat. I'd felt Emmett leave then come back.

There was an impact of something large and dead at my feet. The smell made me instinctively crawl forward. My hand explored the furry form until I reached its face then I recognized the thing as a bear. The burn in my throat became a fire; I weakly lunged at the carcass and my teeth cut through fur and flesh. Hot salty blood pumped into my mouth and I swallowed it down greedily. It cooled the flames to the point where I could push the discomfort into the background of my thoughts.

My mind felt fuzzy, but somehow Dina was now able to read my mind and linked us together with the rest of the family. I started to mentally fade out, soon all the voices were out of my head and I just drifted in the scent and arms of my Rose.

RPOV

I carried Bella back home where it had taken her two days to fully recover. Carlisle theorized that it had taken that long because she hadn't fully completed the Change when her power manifested fully and she felt the need to protect the innocent girls. In her only lucid moment during that time, she weakly attempted to seduce me; it was almost funny.

While Bella healed, Carlisle and I decided to fill in the rest of the family, and Tanya and Levi, about the real cause of her condition. They had been just as pissed off when they learned the truth as the two of us had been. They were equally pissed off at us for not mentioning sooner. We apologized then all of us tried to figure out the best way to explain it to Bella because my mate had the right to know.

It was the general consensus that she should be told as soon as she was fully recovered. The next issue we debated was if the family should move. In the end, it had been considered a wise choice to move as far as possible from the illicit Volturi activity in Seattle. Carlisle suggested we go to Isle Esme, the island he'd bought as an anniversary present for Esme about thirty years ago. After a while, we'd use it as sort of a home port while we traveled the world. Tanya and Levi agreed to bring the rest of the Denali's down for a visit in a couple of months.


	13. Chapter 13

**Cullen's Hound**

_Disclaimer: You already know I don't own Twilight, I'm just having some fun with it._

Ch. 13: Fun in the Sun

BPOV

The past year and a half had been rather idyllic on Isle Esme, which was a misnomer because it was three islands not just one. The big island was Isle Esme, a somewhat ovoid land mass approximately four miles long and three across at its widest point. There were two smaller, satellite islands no more than a mile in circumference a half a mile away from either side of the widest point on Esme. They each had a private bungalow on them and a small pier. On the big island was a house exactly like the one in Forks.

Emmett and Alice lived on the small island to the west with Cu and Brigit, a female Irish Wolfhound that he bought just before we left the States. My mountain of a brother was up to something but not even Dina was able to get it out of him. And speaking of the telepath, she and Jasper currently occupied the eastern island. That left me, Rose, Dad and Mom with the big house all to ourselves; which we made the most of and caused more than a few embarrassing moments when one couple walked in on the other doing things where they shouldn't have been.

While I had still been recovering from the wounds I'd received during my transformation, we moved to Isle Esme. Dad told me that it was so I'd be isolated during my tumultuous Newborn Year. The funny thing was that because of all the martial arts training I'd had growing up it wasn't that bad, just the occasional mood swing. Like the time I threw Jazz through the glass wall of the big house because he basically called me a freak for not being all bloodthirsty and shit.

After I finished beating the mighty God of War's ass into submission, Mom grounded me for two months, i.e. no sex for me and Rose. When my mate whined that she hadn't done anything wrong, Mom took all the batteries out of her vibrators and then crushed the toys. I smirked because she'd forgotten about the Pocket Rocket that the Pixie had given me for those times when I wore my baby out. The smirk fell off my face when my stupid telepathic big sister had to open her trap about the oversight. By the end of that day, everyone was grounded and the big house was full of sexually frustrated vampires for the duration of the punishment.

I also learned the truth about my past and how to control my gift. After the Denali's came for a visit, an English vampire named Alistair showed up. Turned out he was Dad and Rose's contact for the Network. He explained that a child with Swan's Syndrome had been born in Italy and the Volturi learned their science experiment hadn't failed because they'd caught a Nomad attempting to smuggle the child out of the country. The twisted bastards killed the baby and were in the process of refining their science so that they could try again. So far, they had not been able to breach the Network but they suspect its existence.

In two days, we were leaving to start our world tour so the rest of the family was on the mainland hunting. Rose and I had gone last night, so that meant we had the island all to ourselves and I planned to make good use of our alone time.

RPOV

My Bella was an amazing creature. She'd taken to immortality well, which shocked everyone, then took the truth about her past in stride. The girl was something else. Outside of those first two horrendous months, our stay on Isle Esme was a blessing. Despite what anyone else thought, it hadn't been a non-stop fuckfest. We hunted and did romantic stuff as well. Besides, I wasn't going to complain about my mate having the sex drive of four teenaged boys. She'd become quite the dominant little sex kitten during our time here.

The family was headed to Greece in a couple of days, so the others had gone hunting. Bella and I had opted out because we'd gone last night. I had wanted to do something special for my Angel but she insisted that we go swimming. My Angel, using my senses, led the way to a crystal lagoon in a hidden cove on the north side of the island. As soon as we reached the small stretch of beach at the edge of the lagoon, the brunette vampire peeled out of her wrap around skirt and removed her tee-shirt to reveal the barely there blue top and matching micro-bikini. Without a pause, Bella dove head first into the water.

At vampire speed I stripped down to a similar micro-bikini set, only in hunter green, and then followed her into the water. I had stuck to swimming along the surface because I knew that my mate still couldn't wrap her head around not needing to breathe so she kept trying to see how long she could stay under water before it became too uncomfortable. Several minutes and more than a few laps back and forth across the lagoon, I floated on my back and gazed up at the cloudless sky. The sunlight glinted off my marble skin as a piece of instrumental music filtered through my mind while I enjoyed the tranquility of the setting. I'd just realized that it was the theme song to Jaws when Bella struck.

Her arms snaked around my legs as they were spread wide in a lazy kick. My lower half was pulled under the surface and my bikini bottom was torn off. Bella's mouth latched itself around my clit like a lamprey while she sucked on it and her tongue furiously licked it. Two of her fingers thrust inside my core at the same breakneck pace. There was no way that I was able to stay afloat so I sucked in one last gulp of air and let myself sink below the gentle waves.

The feeling of being weightless while surrounded by warm water and being expertly licked, sucked and fucked was too much. I don't know how I managed to keep my mouth shut as one orgasm after another streamed though my body. After four hours of non-stop servicing, Bella stopped and kissed my passionately as we floated to the surface. I took a few unnecessary breaths then returned the favor. It was well dark when we past our parents on their way for a tryst of their own at the lagoon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Cullen's Hound**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Too bad, so sad._

Ch. 14: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

RPOV

Bella walked next to me, her right arm linked through my left. Fergus, acting the part of the faithful service dog, was on the leash in her left hand while Fiona walked next to me and I held her leash loosely in my right hand. For a vampire with impulse control problems and a knack for sheer stupidity, Emmett's little experiment worked out pretty well. Just before we moved to Isle Esme, he was surfing the Internet for something (probably porn) when he came across a story about Chinese Fu dogs. Apparently they were immortal canines that guarded sacred temples and such.

During our stay off the Brazilian coast, he bit Cu and Brigit in an attempt to create his own Fu dogs. The results were not what he expected. The venom slowed the dogs' aging process and increased their intelligence. The animals also developed the ability to telepathically link to their masters, as well as increased speed and strength. Their need to consume raw meat, preferably fresh, was the only draw back.

Emmett bred Cu and Brigit twice while we lived on Isle Esme and each litter produced four puppies. That meant the each couple in our family had a pair of dogs and a two were sent to the Network to use as a breeding pair. Despite Cu originally being Bella's dog, he formed a link with our oversized brother just as Brigit formed a link with Alice. The "Wu Dogs" as he called them, because they were Irish Wolfhounds and not from China, were excellent guard dogs. Now that the family had decided to split up for a year so each couple could do their own, we were all glad of that.

During the first two of the five years the family traveled the world, Bella and I rarely left our room. Esme often lamented that we were far worse than Emmett and Alice ever were; I had actually taken that as a compliment. Anyway, my point was that me and my mate hadn't done much site seeing. Now that we were off on our own, we wanted to make up earlier distracted. Not that we still weren't easily distracted but we were going to try.

The two of us and our furry companions were enjoying a rainy day in the Cairo marketplace. Besides having mind blowing sex with my mate and fixing cars, my third passion was Egyptology. Egypt was one of my all time favorite places and I was excited to show my Bella the wonders it held. In a couple of hours we were going to drive out to the home of the Egyptian Cove to hang out with Benjamin and Tia, so I wanted to get in a little shopping.

Bella hated shopping and crowds made her nervous but the small smile on her lips told me she enjoyed seeing me happy. It was the same smile I wore when she dragged me to those martial arts tournaments she liked. Like all loving couples, we learned to tolerate those hobbies we didn't share with our mate. There was just one more stall I wanted to visit then I'd take her for a private tour of the Museum of Antiquities, the curator was an old friend of mine.

The stall in question sold beautiful hand woven rugs and I wanted to get one as a present for Esme. After ten minutes of haggling over price, I ended up the proud owner of three of the textile masterpieces which I arranged to be sent to the family's Alaskan home. Once the money had exchanged hands, we were off to the museum.

Bella seemed tense but when I asked her what was wrong, she simply changed our direction and led us further away from the throng of people. It was then that I understood her actions.

"Are we being followed," I tapped out on her arm in question.

Unlike the old Morse code the family had to learn when we first met my mate, the two of us had developed our own special code to use privately. We reverted to it whenever Bella felt there might be a threat nearby. She made an almost imperceptible nod and I eased myself into a more alert state. Once of the things that had been drilled into my head, by both my love and Jasper, was that you never wanted to tense up because you wanted to lull you enemy into a false sense of confidence. It was a skill that poor Emmett still hadn't perfected.

With few people around to draw from, I felt the familiar tingle as the brunette vampire tugged heavily on my senses. The two of us dropped the leashes we held and the dogs automatically spread out to detect danger and give my mate a broader perspective. For the next half hour we weaved our way through back allies toward our rental car but we couldn't tell if we'd lost our shadow.

Once we were safely in the car, I drove out of the city and made sure I kept an eye out for any tails. Bella relaxed when we were a few miles outside of town. I waited patiently for her to explain.

"While you were looking at those rugs, I started flipping through the excessive amount of views I had access to. A child near the entrance to the Market noticed a vampire sticking to the shadows. The little girl followed him with her eyes and he was headed our direction. I started keeping tabs on him through other views and he appeared to be watching us. When we left the stall, he started to track us, we lost him a couple of allies away from the car," she explained.

I checked the mirrors but nobody was behind us. An hour southwest of Cairo, I turned onto the dirk tact that was the private drive to the home of the Egyptian Coven's home. A sense of dread filled me when I first notice the column of smoke in the general direction of our destination. My worst fears were confirmed when the car rounded a bend and the charred remains of a house came into view. I stopped the car then Bella and I got out and investigated the scene.

**BPOV**

The second we were out of the car, I knew it was a mistake because my power provided me with five more views outside of Rose's and the dogs'. Five vampires in ash grey cloaks appeared from behind the smoking ruin. I recognized the signature uniform of the Volturi Guard and knew things would only get worse. Before Rose could open the door to let the dogs out, we were surrounded.

"Well…well…well, what have we here? One of the infamous Cullen's and the crippled Swan Girl; someone was pathetic enough to Change her. I had no idea Immortality would fill her out nicely when I told her father she had no appeal the night I killed him. When we get back to Volterra, I will have to break her in," the vampire with short dark hair who was obviously in charge sneered.

I stifled the growl that wanted to burst from my chest and fought to remain docile looking when every instinct screamed at me to tear the overconfident bastard to shreds. My family had been preparing for this day from the moment we left Forks so I knew that now was not the time to fight. Rose drummed her fingers on the car to cover the message she sent me in our private code, _I love you._

When I was a Newborn, whenever I wasn't using my power to restore my sight and hearing my eyes were solid crimson. As I continued to follow the vegetarian diet, the crimson was replaced by a dull gold film. Over the years, I learned to use my powers to restore my senses without showing any outward sign; such as the film dissolving so my eyes looked just like the other members of my family.

I whimpered like a good little victim when he brushed his hand up my arm. Rose growled possessively and I wanted to roll my eyes but I was too busy imagining all the ways I could snap the smarmy fuck's arm off then use it to turn him into a Popsicle before the others had time to react. The rest of the vampires waited for her to react. One of the Guards opened the front passenger's door of our rental and I hear two faint pops as he used a dart gun to knock out our babies.

Once the fools were satisfied we were subdued, they manhandled us into an SUV while one of them drove off in our car. Throughout the drive back to Cairo and the flight to Italy, the dark haired sleazebag kept pawing me. Thankfully, his hands stayed above my clothes or Rose might have forgotten the plan and there would've been a plane load of dead Volturi. Too bad she didn't know how to fly the plane.

Comic book Villain 101 must've been a job requirement for these jackasses because they kept up a steady monologue for the duration of the flight. That was how Rose and I learned that learned that the rest of the family had been captured and the Egyptian and Hong Kong Covens were wiped out because they'd given us shelter during our travels.

Our family and the Denali's were to be sentenced in the morning, so we were tossed into individual cells in the dungeon of Volterra Castle. My cell was typical of the Hollywood cliché; cold, damp and reeking of fear and death. I knew cock-knocking little bitch that killed my father would be back sometime to play with me, so I used my time wisely and let my power have free reign.

An hour later the door to my cell opened and my wannabe tormentor dragged me out by my hair…


	15. Chapter 15

**Cullen's Hound**

_Disclaimer: Twilight and all of its characters are owned by SM._

Ch. 15: False Confidence

AroPOV

The last five years had been stressful. First, I had to send Felix to deal with that meddlesome human, Charlie Swan. Then some of the Guard caught a filthy Nomad when he tried to secret a baby out of Italy and we learned that our forgotten science experiment was not as much of a failure as originally thought. Although my spies never found evidence to my suspicions, I believed one or more vampires were hiding other children like the one liberated from the Nomad's clutches.

My list of the usual suspects for such a traitorous action was small, the few surviving Romanians and Carlisle Cullen. While the former were the obvious choice, the latter had been a thorn in my side from the first moment he walked into Volterra. I have waited for centuries for the "Good Doctor" move against me but he has never discovered the truth about his past or himself for that matter, so I let him be in the hope that he would either surrender his precious morals or be destroyed by another vampire. Felix had still been in the general area dealing with the aftermath of killing Swan when he learned Carlisle had adopted the mortal's crippled daughter.

At first, I believed it merely a coincidence but after a year of reviewing the data from the experiment I noticed one of the women that received the fertility treatments had been named Renee Swan. Further research had revealed that she had been the wife of Charlie Swan. That was when I realized that Carlisle had not only learned of our plan, but he was hiding the resultant offspring from us. Cullen had fled with his Coven from their home in the Olympic Peninsula. However, I was unable to send Demitri after them because of some fool tried to create Newborn Armies in Russia, Canada and Germany.

It had taken the better part of six months to not just eliminate the threat that the armies posed but to track down the insane fool responsible for them. As soon as the wretch was nothing more than a pile of ashes, I sent out Demitri and half of the Guard to bring in the Cullen's. Unfortunately that proved to be problematic because the Coven had adopted the Nomadic lifestyle. It was not until they had broken up into smaller groups that we were able to capture them but not without casualties. Somehow a member of the Coven had found a way to breed guard dogs capable of harming vampires. Although, they were just as shocked to learn that as we had been; I will have Afton begin to breed them as soon as we unlock the secret behind them.

Felix and his contingent returned with the last two members of Carlisle's Coven an hour ago. I touched his hand to see how the operation had gone and was shocked to learn that the one named Rosalie had mated with the crippled Swan girl, who was now a vampire. I agreed to let my servant have his fun but I was going to use it to destroy the threat the Coven posed then force the survivors to serve me. The majority of the prisoners had already been brought to the throne room and I almost laughed at their rebellious stares. Once Felix dragged the cripple in, the fun would start.

We had not been waiting long when the doors to the Throne Room burst open and the last players in our drama arrived. Carlisle watched with a worried expression as Felix stopped in the center of the room with the useless vampire then released her. The one I now knew as Rosalie looked absolutely livid. The time had come to shatter their spirits and bend them to my will.

"Carlisle Cullen, my old friend, it pains me to charge you and your Coven…I am sorry…_Family_ with treason for interfering with the affairs of the Volturi. In addition, you allowed a worthless cripple to become Immortal. First we shall deal with that lapse in judgment, and then we shall discuss how you might redeem yourselves to avoid the death penalty," I intone cheerily and much to their annoyance.

"STOP," my brother, Marcus, yelled and caused everyone to not only jump but stare at him in shock.

MPOV

All eyes were on me and I had to resist the urge to laugh at their startled expressions. Centuries of careful plotting from the shadows were about to come to fruition. Revenge was so near that I tasted its bitter sweetness on tongue. I struggled to keep my usual mask of bored indifference in place as I stood up from my throne. My eyes remained locked on Aro for a full minute before they swept over the crowd. Being the fool of a showman he was, the poisonous viper followed my gaze and failed to see Renata step back far enough that he was no longer covered by her shield.

"As the Volturi Prince, Carlisle has the right to have his chosen Champion defend his honor against the charge laid against him," I said with authority.

"HE IS NO VOTURI PRINCE," Caius screamed as he rose from his throne while Aro looked horror struck and the others gaped in astonishment.

"After the destruction of my beloved, Didyme, I left Volterra for a time. Did you never wonder where I went? I fled to London and wallowed in my misery in the sewers of that place. It had been my hope that I would find my death there so that I could join my mate. Instead, I found a reason to live. The Anglican faith intrigued me and I eventually found myself attending services at a small parish led by a superstitious fool and self-proclaimed Witch Hunter.

"As I said, he was a fool but his son was another matter. Unlike his father, the young man had a quick wit, a curious nature of the world and was highly intelligent. Even without Eleazar's power, I knew he had a latent gift. When the father became too old to carry out his mission, he forced the son to take up his mantle. Again, the son out shined his father in this endeavor. On a night I knew the he would be out on patrol, I allowed him to see leave my hiding place.

"Carlisle's men were too far away and his compassionate nature would not allow him to endanger their lives so he followed me then attacked. The poor child had never faced a real vampire before and, therefore, had not realized that the effort was wasted. I had not hunted properly in weeks and ended up savaging his neck but I only drank a few mouthfuls before I stopped. The other hunters started to close in so I dropped my chosen progeny and led the fools on a merry chase.

"I returned in time to observe Carlisle bury himself in a pile of rotted potatoes. For the next three days, I watched over his change and was impressed that he never cried out once. Before I could approach him when he came out of the Change, he caught the scent of a nearby human but refused to hunt. Instead of giving into the Beast inside of him, he fled the city. I had to leave him behind because Chelsea had found me and brought me back to Volterra.

"Imagine my joy and happiness when one day he managed to find his way to us. Aro had known that I sired a Newborn while I was away and suspected Carlisle was him but never confirmed it because I was able to obscure that particular memory whenever he touched me. My joy increased when I stumbled upon Eleazar on his way to meet with Aro and he explained that my Child had the gift of being a Beacon. A gift that drew other vampires, and humans, to him like moths to a flame then allowed them to be influenced by his convictions.

"But I am rambling, forgive me Caius. The immediate answer to your accusation is that Carlisle, by nature of being my Child, is in fact Prince of the Volturi," I explained smugly.

Without taking time for the wealth of information I let slip to be fully registered in his mind, my get stepped forward and used the opportunity I created to his advantage.

"I, Carlisle Cullen, Child of Marcus and Prince of the Volturi, under the eyes of Almighty God and these witnesses declare Isabella Marie Swan Cullen to be my Champion. By Wager of Battle, she shall defend the honour and innocence of our family against our accuser," he proclaimed loudly, his British accent more pronounced than normal, then stepped back to the rest of his family were held.

"You are a fool, Carlisle. I choose Felix to fight and when that _thing_ is destroyed you and your precious family shall join it," Aro hissed then spun to face me.

"I shall deal with you later," he finished.

Everyone watched as Felix began to circle his confused and helpless opponent. My brothers and the rest of the Guard were focused on what was sure to be a massacre. Renata was able to slip away undetected.


	16. Chapter 16

**Cullen's Hound**

_Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue; the fact that I don't own Twilight is a bunch of poo._

Ch. 16: Rise of the Hound

BPOV

When the family left Isle Esme five years ago, we all realized that it was only a matter of time before the fucking Volturi came after us. Not just because Aro, one of the Kings, had a hard on for collecting gifted vampires but because they would eventually find out about me. Carlisle made sure that we were prepared for that time. Jasper, Dina and myself more so than the others. The three of us were the best fighters in the family, no matter how much Emmett bitched that his strength should count for something.

During my change, when I fought against the Nomads, the shield around my mind dropped and Dina had been able to link to my mind and read my thoughts. At one point, she even linked in Jazz so that he could witness my power. Our father later theorized that keeping the three of us linked during a fight might be very advantageous for the family. In between teaching the others a crash course in hand to hand combat, we practiced being linked to each other and had some startling results.

One of which was that while I wasn't able to project the mental shield that protected me form most vampiric powers, any minds Dina linked to me reaped the benefits of it.

Carlisle also believed that the Volturi would capture us first and then make an example out of one of us. Being seen as the weakest link of the family, I was the obvious choice for this. He went on to further postulate that the mole inside the Italian Coven would make themselves known and assist us. My father was correct in his assumptions because during the journey to Volterra after our capture, I found a message in brail on the underside of my seat belt in the plane. While Felix had been absorbed in groping me, I had been able to read it. The hidden missive confirmed my father's beliefs.

Once I was thrown into my cell at the castle, I opened up my power and learned everything I could about our captors. When Dina linked the family together, we started to plan. The plan was the oldest one in the book, Trojan Horse. Jane needed to use her power on one of the others so the enemy believed in their own superiority while I played the helpless victim. After a few minutes, our trap would be sprung.

In theory, that was a good plan but it that knowledge hadn't made it any less stressful. As I was being dragged down the hall by Felix, Dina linked to me for a second then told me Jane used her power on Esme. I started to see red but calmed myself with the fact that by the end of the day, that little witch was going to be ash for doing that to my mother.

I waited for Felix to get on with it after Marcus finished his spiel and Carlisle picked me to fight. Despite the fact the Italian fuck was about to go down like the Titanic, the next several minutes were going to hurt.

AroPOV

I watched as Felix circled the doomed cripple. She stood there without a clue as to what was about to befall her. My Champion flashed forward and slashed across the girl's stomach, which had torn her shirt and left a long gash that oozed venom. Bella screamed then doubled over in pain. While still in that position, Felix struck her in the back of the head and drove her into the floor.

A fearful whimper escaped the one called Rosalie as she watched her prone mate get kicked in the ribs then fly into the opposite wall and caused several cracks to appear. Before Bella recovered, Felix punched her in the chest then tossed her to the foot of the dais our thrones sat upon. My faithful servant flashed in front of her then lifted her by the throat. After shaking her violently, he slammed her into the floor.

Felix had started to laugh when the cripple had gotten in a lucky strike and kicked him across the room. Bella stood and I noticed Carlisle's first companion nod grimly. The deaf and blind girl faced the direction of her family, unaware of Felix's next attack. My jaw, along with the rest of the Volturi's, dropped when she effortlessly block not it but every other attack he made.

The next ten minutes shattered whatever beliefs I held as I watched Bella strike Felix so that he flew across the room. Before he struck a wall, she was there first to deliver her next blow. Her attacks and movements were so fast that not even a vampire's keen vision saw them. The only thing anyone had seen were gashes appear on his body as if by magic while he was flung around the room like a ragdoll. There was the sound of tearing metal then Felix's disembodied head struck my chest and landed at my feet. The remainder of his body parts were cast about the room.

I heard when Carlisle gave the order to attack and countered it with the command for my dear ones, Jane and Alec to unleash their powers upon the fools. Any satisfaction I had that this little coup would be over quickly ended when my dear ones' powers failed. The Throne Room erupted in chaos as Carlisle and Jasper attacked Caius, Alice dispatched Alec, Esme destroyed my Jane and Rosalie killed Chelsea. Renata was nowhere to be found and I attempted to flee when Marcus stopped me by grabbing my throat before he pulled me to him.

"Did you think I was so easily fooled about what happened to my wife, Brother," he hissed.

The rest of the Guard stood by mutely because the thrall Chelsea had held them in was lifted. Everyone else grew silent when the doors to the right of the thrones opened and a vampire that they all believed dead for over a thousand years glided into the room. Panic filled me and the last thing I witnessed before Marcus ended my existence was Didyme kiss her husband's cheek.

RPOV

Once the fight was over, I ran over to check my baby's injuries. I was so wrapped up in making sure she was alright that I hardly noticed when a set of doors opened. It was everybody whispering the name Didyme that made me look at the vampire who entered. Even by vampire standards, she was exceptionally beautiful. Her auburn hair hung loosely down to her back and the embroidered gown she wore was accented with a purple robe. Red eyes locked on Marcus and she kissed his cheek before he turned Aro into a bad memory.

Marcus ascended to the middle throne that formally belonged to Aro. Didmey moved to Caius' old throne and both indicated that Carlisle should occupy the third. Once all three were ensconced in their places of authority, Marcus addressed all of us.

"A millennium ago, my beloved Didyme and I planned to leave the Volturi. Her brother, Aro, became enraged and plotted to keep us here. Caius lured me out of the castle to hunt while Aro cornered my mate. There was a vampire named Juan that could change other's appearances, scent and memories. My traitorous brothers hired him to alter Didyme then betrayed their pawn. When I came back from my hunt, Aro was kneeling over a pile of ashes that he claimed was my wife, sobbing.

"In his hand was a torn piece of fabric that reeked of the Romanian, Stefan. He spun a tale about how Stefan had come to make peace only to find Didyme alone and destroyed her. It is common knowledge that I lost my will to live after that. Less than a day later, Renata joined the Guard. For centuries, I believed the lie, my only thought being to find a way to revenge myself upon Stefan.

"One day, I overheard Aro and Caius talking about getting rid of a prisoner in the dungeon because it was too dangerous to keep him. For whatever reason, I went to the dungeon and found Juan. Years of starvation and torture had driven him nearly insane. He told me that he had changed my wife and altered her memories. I helped him escape in exchange for giving my beloved back to me when the time was right.

"I staged a fire in the dungeon then left of England a week later. It was there that I planned my revenge. When I returned, I had to play at being bored and detached so the others would not suspect anything. During the time, Aro began his unholy experiments; I secreted Renata out of the castle and had Juan restore her memory. As long as she never touched his skin, the pompous fool would never know. I also formed a group called the Network to gather the evidence to destroy his ambition, once and for all.

"Two days ago, Aro told me of the capture of my son and most of his Coven. I knew the time had come to finish what I started and end his reign of terror," Marcus explained.

"The time has come to rebuild the Volturi and make it what it was supposed to be. However, that is not my task to complete. I have spent enough time without my Didyme. Therefore, I abdicate my position as King and give up my right to rule in favor of my Heir; Carlisle Cullen Volturi," the ancient continued.

The chamber erupted in a cacophony of voices wondering how anything was going to be rebuilt. Movement drew my eye and I noticed Bella put on a grey robe that had been thrown on the floor then limp towards the exit. I wasn't the only one that had seen it because our father called out to her.

"Where are you going, Bella," he asked drew everyone's focus to the retreating vampire.

"Bella is dead. Like the ancient Irish hero before me, I'm the Hound. Whenever there is a threat to our kind, I'll be there to fight it. Rule well father and bring us peace but remember that I'll be watching," my love stated plainly then left. We all stared after her, even after the doors closed.

I was out the door seconds later and made my way to the garage. Bella was limping near the city gate when I pulled up next to her in my recently liberated Mercedes R3 convertible.

"Hey, sweet thang, you headed my way," I called out to her.

"I don't have any gas money to offer you," she replied with a frown.

"I'm sure we could work something out," I shot back and wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.

Bella let out a wind chime laugh and climbed into the car. When I asked where we were headed she just told me to go north.


	17. Chapter 17

**Cullen's Hound**

Epilogue: Wife, Mother, Teacher

_*Swiss Alps: 20 Years Later*_

BPOV

The cool mountain air was refreshing and my golden eyes take in the beauty all around me. Children of various ages were enjoying a welcome break from classes and training. Most of them waited excitedly for Marcus and Didyme to arrive because they agreed to take all the older students skiing while the rest were divided between shopping with Alice or going to the zoo with Gianna.

After leaving Volterra, Rosalie and I found a valley nestled up in the Swiss Alps. When Aro started to hunt our family, Marcus had used the Network to send all the children with Swan's Syndrome into hiding. I wanted find a place off the beaten path where they'd be safe until they learned to control whatever gifts they possessed. Rose had been disgusted when she heard that all of the parents had been glad when their kids were taken from them, so she was more than supportive.

At the time, there were a grand total of five others and three of those were toddlers and two just a couple of years younger than myself. Over the years, we learned that Aro had done three separate trials and each used a different concentration of diluted venom. Currently, there are thirty children between the ages of three-months to seventeen.

Rose and I were married a year after we started the Red Branch Academy in this valley. We lived in a chalet next to the large lodge that made up the school. Tonight was our anniversary and my eyes were one of my presents for my love. I'd recently mastered my power so that I wasn't borrowing snippets of other people's senses to create my own; my brain now processed information straight from my optic and auditory nerves. Esme had flown in by helicopter to watch the babies while my mate and I enjoyed a romantic evening. My wife joined me on the terrace and gasped when I turned around.

"Baby, your eyes. Your beautiful eyes," she said adoringly as she pulled my face to hers then kissed me.

"Surprise, love, this is your first present," I whispered.

She pulled back then opened the robe that I hadn't noticed she was wearing. The extremely naughty lingerie she wore underneath was just a hint of what she had planned. My sexy Goddess gave me a coy smile then led me back inside and into our bedroom.

**The End.**

**AN: Thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it. J.**


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